Enhancing investigative interview skills with brief educational videos

Purpose Gathering detailed and reliable information from victims, witnesses and suspects is essential for effective criminal investigations. However, research has demonstrated that skills such as appropriate questioning procedures and techniques to build rapport frequently show no improvement following training (Akca et al., 2021). The purpose of this paper is to test the benefits of two brief educational videos developed to present a clear and concise summary of the key psychological evidence-base underpinning these two core skills. Design/methodology/approach A mixed design with n = 44 participants was used where education was manipulated within participants (initial pre-education interview vs post-education interview), and practice was manipulated between participants (practice interview vs. no practice interview). Findings The findings indicate significant improvements in both questioning and rapport building competencies compared to baseline performance. Importantly, these improvements were not attributable to simple practice effects. Practical implications The authors propose that brief educational videos can enhance investigative interview training by aiding course trainers who may not be experts in accessing or interpreting scientific research. These resources also promote standardisation in training and reducing variability in how evidence-based competencies are taught. Originality/value This research provides an efficient solution to help bridge the gap between the science of “what works” in investigative interviewing and real-world practice by creating educational videos that explain the psychology behind key skills, making them easier to understand and apply. Brief educational videos offer a valuable resource that can be easily integrated into existing investigative interviewing training programmes, thus supporting the goal of translating research into best practice.