The Forensic Interview Trace (FIT) is a secure computer program designed to record the structure, content and characteristics of a forensic interview, involving victims, witnesses, suspects and persons of interest.
“Grounded within psychological concepts such as memory, information retrieval and interpersonal communication and rapport-building, the tool is being developed to address some of the challenges associated with understanding human behavior within the interview process, with a particular focus on interviewer and interviewee behavior," said Laura Farrugia, lead researcher of the project. “As such, the tool will be of benefit for all police services in England and Wales, but also those on an international level.”
Given the recent cuts to funding and the impact this has had on training opportunities, police officers will be able to use the FIT to enhance their investigational skills and develop behavioral capability and information advantage.
The FIT will also benefit security agencies and any organization that conducts their own in-house investigations, such as corporate companies.
“Investing in IT and technological capabilities is part of the Government’s ongoing Technology Innovation Strategy and is a priority for defence and security capabilities," said Farrugia, who is a senior lecturer and program leader for forensic psychology at the University of Sunderland. “Furthermore, given the type of complex investigation that UK police services and security agencies are involved in, there is a real need to develop behavioural capability and information advantage when conducting interviews with persons of interest involved in ongoing investigations.”
Republished courtesy of University of Sunderland. Photo credit: Sunderland