Police interrogation guidelines in England led to fairer trials, fewer false confessions
Your Tuesday editorial “Police interrogators need clear guidelines on when sleep deprivation amounts to torture” raised important points around the use of sleep deprivation, its effect on suspects and the need for clear legislation. The treatment of suspects in police custody has been under scrutiny in many countries for decades, and I thought your readers might be interested in the situation in the United Kingdom, where legislation has been in place for 35 years that covers this very point with no ill effects.
Prior to 1984, police interrogation in the UK was largely unregulated and false confession cases frequent. This led to the introduction of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act across England and Wales. The legislation introduced maximum detention times for all suspects of 96 hours with court oversight after 24 hours, a minimum 8 hours rest within any 24 hours — free from questioning or other investigation process — respect for prayer and mealtimes, mandatory electronic recording of all interrogations, the presence of a lawyer and medical assessment upon arrest where necessary. The police have now operated effectively within these rules for more than three decades, and the transparency of the custody process forestalls issues raised by defense at trial which could otherwise suppress evidence. As a result, complaints about police treatment of suspects are rare and coerced false confession cases are unheard of.
This legislation was not the only factor in the improved police treatment of suspects. Over the subsequent years, training programs in ethical interrogation, investment in better forensic science and cultural change through leadership also have impacted corrupt practices such as those identified in the Sun-Times editorial. This is the wider issue that was not covered by your editorial; the legislation the editorial supports is not the only remedy to the types of abuse you highlight. Andy Griffiths, Ph.D., a United Kingdom police detective and supervisor for 30 years, is a police training specialist who lives in Sussex, UK.