A new generation of police inspectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina is strengthening its investigative interviewing skills through specialised training held on 16-17 June 2026 in Tuzla designed to promote more professional, reliable and human rights-compliant criminal investigations. Based on modern interviewing standards, the programme equips police with practical tools to establish facts while ensuring respect for the rights of persons deprived of liberty and suspects.

For many years, criminal investigations in the region often relied heavily on obtaining confessions from suspects. While investigators worked under significant pressure to solve cases, traditional interviewing approaches sometimes focused more on securing admissions of guilt than on systematically establishing the facts of a case. This approach posed risks to fundamental rights and reliability of evidence gathered during criminal investigations.

The training responds to the recommendations of the European Committee for the prevention of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment to the police authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Based on the Police interviewing: Resource manual for applying SPOP method, the programme introduces a structured methodology for interviewing persons deprived of liberty and criminal suspects. It places professionalism, accountability, and respect for human rights at the centre of police work.

The methodology guides police inspectors through every stage of the interview process, including planning and preparation, audio and video recording of interviews, clear notification of rights to suspects, and systematic evaluation of interview outcomes.

Importantly, it promotes close cooperation between police investigators and prosecutors, who serve as independent investigative authorities in cases involving alleged human rights violations.

For one of the inspectors participating in this training, the new approach represented a significant shift in mindset.

“Previously, many investigators viewed an interview as a way to obtain a confession,” he explained. “The training showed us that our role is to establish the facts, not to force a particular outcome.”

Instead of using confrontational techniques, inspectors learn cognitive and behavioural interviewing methods that encourage suspects to provide their own detailed account of events. Through careful questioning, investigators are trained to explore timelines, clarify details, identify inconsistencies, and examine gaps in statements. This method helps investigators build a more accurate picture of what occurred while reducing the risk of coercion or ill-treatment.

The introduction of audio and video recording also strengthens transparency and accountability. Recorded interviews protect both suspects and investigators by creating an objective record of the interaction. At the same time, ensuring that individuals are fully informed of their rights reinforces safeguards enshrined in the European Convention on human rights and the standards of the European Convention for the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The impact of the training extends beyond the individual participants. The police inspectors trained under the programme have been selected as future champions of investigative interviewing within their agencies. They are expected to cascade the knowledge and skills acquired through peer-to-peer training, helping to embed the new methodology throughout the policing sector.

As these inspectors return to their units, they bring more than technical skills. They carry a new professional culture that values evidence over confession, cooperation over confrontation, and human dignity over expediency. By sharing these practices with colleagues, they are helping to raise standards across the police service and contribute to lasting institutional change.

Over time, the programme is expected to strengthen public confidence in law enforcement, improve the quality and reliability of criminal investigations, and enhance safeguards for persons deprived of liberty. Most importantly, it demonstrates that effective policing and the protection of human rights are not competing objectives. Rather, they are mutually reinforcing pillars of a modern criminal justice system grounded in fairness, accountability, and the rule of law.

Through this training, police inspectors are becoming agents of change - building investigative practices that are more professional, more transparent, and more respectful of the rights and dignity of every individual they encounter.

The  activity was organised as part of the action “Further strengthening the treatment of detained and sentenced persons in line with European standards in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ under the joint Council of Europe and European Union programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.