A young US Naval officer who had committed series of robberies in Japan was apprehended and interviewed in a Japanese police station. The US Naval investigators who had been called in to observe the investigation interview weren’t at all surprised that the tactics the Japanese police officers were using were getting them nowhere.

The suspect, however, was probably very surprised that his interrogation seemed to be an innocuous conversation about his family. Maybe the Japanese investigators didn’t have the evidence after all and he was going to get off scot-free.

Or maybe the Japanese officers were using investigation interview techniques that work very effectively on Japanese people, but not on Americans, who don’t see the automatic connection between committing a crime and bringing shame upon their families. As the Japanese officers continued to ply the suspect with questions about his relationships, concerns and cares, they became more and more confused about why the suspect wasn’t cracking under their relentless pressure. When the observers suggested to the Japanese officers that they should ask their suspect about the actual crimes, they shifted tactics and got a confession.

Group-Oriented Cultures

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“Different cultural expectations, different approaches,” explains psychologist Dr. Kirk Kennedy, of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI Academy. Dr. Kennedy led a session on investigation interview tactics for foreign cultures at the NHCAA Annual Training Conference in November.

People from group-oriented cultures are concerned with group goals, he says. They think about their actions in relation to their family and community, rather than from an individual perspective. This can pose challenges for the Western investigator who doesn’t always see this connection.

For one thing, when interviewing people from group-oriented cultures (which make up 80 per cent of the world’s population), investigators should invest the first 30 to 45 minutes into talking about the subject’s family. “Throw away your watch,” he says.

 Getting to the Truth

Some people from group-oriented cultures are uncomfortable with direct communication, which makes it hard for an investigator to have the kind of conversation necessary to get to the truth, says Dr. Kennedy.

“So what are you going to do? How can you get past some of the barriers? How can you break down the walls, get rapport enough to get into a conversation that goes beyond some of these initial barriers, to talking about things that are of interest to you and your investigation?” he asks.

A bit of understanding is a powerful tool and investigators who take the time to learn about the culture of the people they are interviewing will get much more from their interviews. Talking to people in their own terms can turn a blank stare into a revelation.