– For many years, we have worked with methodology and expertise around the questioning of children, but primarily with a focus on children as witnesses and victims. But children who are suspected of having committed criminal acts are just as vulnerable during questioning, and therefore we must train and develop competence around these questionings as well. That’s what Dag Sveaas says, who is section leader of the investigation unit at the Norwegian Police Academy, and incoming head of department for the school’s continuing education. From next year, the school will offer a new further education which deals with questioning suspected children. – We hope this can contribute to improving legal certainty and safeguarding the human rights of children. That is the aim of creating such an education. Interrogation methods in Norway have improved considerably since the Silje case in 1994, says section leader at the Norwegian Police Academy, Dag Sveaas. – At the same time, you can always improve. Photo: Runar Kvernen / Police Academy Blamed for death Brennpunkt’s documentary series “Murder in the sledge” has recently focused on police interrogation of children. The police have received a lot of criticism for the way three young boys were questioned in the so-called Silje case. They were blamed for the death of a five-year-old girl in Trondheim in 1994. Last week, the public prosecutor in Trøndelag concluded that the boys, who were then 4, 5 and 6 years old, are innocent. Sveaas hopes that the new education can prevent similar cases in the future. – We have to believe that this can contribute to that. Now the Police Academy cannot ensure that everyone does it correctly, but we can facilitate good learning, good training and further development in the subject of interrogation. At the same time, Sveaas emphasizes that the police today have significantly better interrogation techniques than in 1994. – But we always want to improve. Important that the children understand The new study will be a continuation of mandatory annual training for those who work with investigations in the police and prosecution authorities, who have already had a focus on suspected children and their rights in recent years. It will provide a thorough review of what rights the children have and how these must be safeguarded, such as the right to have a guardian, defender or other support person with them during the questioning. The study will also provide training in how to adapt the questioning to the child’s development and needs. Not least, it must deal with how to talk to children in a way that makes them understand what an interrogation is and what will happen. – Children may not fully understand the scope of what they are involved in and what rights they have, and it is important to explain this to them, says Sveaas. – It is about creating a safe situation for them, so that they feel that they can talk freely about their experience of a case or episode. Good, but not enough Following the state attorney’s decision in the Silje case, children’s ombudsman Inga Bejer Engh said that she fears for the legal security of children in police interrogation. She therefore welcomes this further education. – We do not know the details of this study, but I am basically very positive about changes that can strengthen the police’s competence in working with children, says Engh. – Getting investigators with children’s expertise can be one of several measures to strengthen children’s legal security. At the same time, Engh is calling for a change in the law. She believes that it should be a requirement that suspected children meet with a defense attorney during questioning, and not just a right. The fact that children do not have a lawyer with them can lead to misunderstandings and possible false confessions, she believes. – Further education is not enough on its own to improve children’s legal security when dealing with the police. The Criminal Procedure Act must be changed so that children always have an adult present during questioning, preferably a lawyer. The Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness has said that they are considering changes to the law. The suspect boys are fighting the battle of their lives to be cleared. But what will the police find in the new investigation into the case?
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The Norwegian Police Academy is establishing its own further training for questioning child suspects – news Trøndelag
