The PEACE Model: A Framework for Effective Investigative Interviewing

By Bob Denaro (KPM) · May 2026

The PEACE model is the national framework for investigative interviewing: Preparation and Planning, Engage and Explain, Account, Closure, and Evaluation. Applied well, it gives investigators the best opportunity to gather accurate, complete and reliable information in a legally defensible way. An unstructured interview risks leading questions, missed areas, and a record that will not withstand court scrutiny.

Preparation and Planning

Know the offence. Know your evidence. Understand any vulnerabilities and assess the need for an appropriate adult or language professionals. Plan your topic areas and know your points to prove and likely defences before you sit down.

Engage and Explain

Set the tone professionally. Establish rapport, explain the purpose and format of the interview, administer and explain the caution in its three parts and establish the suspect understands each aspect of the Caution before proceeding with questions. A well-managed opening ensures PACE Code of Practice compliance — and makes the Account phase significantly more productive.

Account

Obtain a full, accurate account using the Questining Funnel. Start with TED prompts (Tell, Explain, Describe) to obtain a free narrative, then probe using the 5WH (Who, What, Why, Where, When and How) framework and clarify. Use open questions and active listening to identify gaps and inconsistencies. Challenges should be evidence-based, not assumption-based — leading questions undermine the quality of evidence.

Closure and Evaluation

Close professionally: give the interviewee the opportunity to add anything and explain what happens next. Then evaluate — review the account against the evidence, identify new lines of inquiry, and update the investigation log. The interview is a source of further investigative direction, not an end point.

Not a script — a discipline

The PEACE model is not a rigid script. It is a structured approach that, applied well, produces the best evidence and withstands scrutiny. BDG's 2026 PACE Interview Guide — practical, up-to-date guidance on investigative interviewing for local authority and public sector investigators — is available to members through the BDG Private Members Area.

Training that covers this

BDG's PACE Interviews (PEACE Investigative Interviews) course develops your team's interviewing capability using the PEACE model and the BDG 2026 PACE Interview Guide. Email info@bdgtrainingconsultancy.co.uk.

This article is adapted from the BDG Investigator Bulletin, Edition 2 (May 2026). Download the full edition free — and subscribe to receive each monthly edition by email.

This article is provided for professional development purposes and does not constitute legal advice.