Commercial Forensic Practitioners' and Interviewees' Behaviour: Observations During and Experiences After Participating in a Commercial Forensic Interview

Purpose – The increase in financial crime worldwide emphasises the importance of effective commercial forensic interviewing in obtaining useful information in commercial forensic investigations. Previous research proposes applying the person-centred approach (PCA), which underlines interpersonal theory and relational qualities from the Interactional Pattern Analysis (IPA), as well as the structure of the PEACE model, as an effective interviewing strategy. What is still unclear, however, is the complex interactions between the commercial forensic practitioner (FP) and the interviewee in the context of a commercial forensic interview (CFI). This study draws on direct observations of relational dynamics during a CFI and the experiences of interviewees and FPs after the interview to throw light on these interactions. The aim of this article is fourfold: (1) To observe FPs' interpersonal styles and the relational dynamics (actions and reactions); (2) From the interviewee's perspective, to record their experiences (subjective impact), which indicate the FPs' interpersonal styles; (3) From the FPs' perspective, to obtain their observations of interviewee behaviour, their assessment of the outcome of the CFI, and how they navigated the interview according to the phases of the PEACE model; and (4) To describe the outcomes of the CFI in terms of FPs' interpersonal styles and the usefulness of the information obtained. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study (or comparative case study) method was used, including an instrumental (typical) and a deviant case (which does not adhere to the typical). Direct observations of CFIs were captured on a checklist to identify FPs' interactional styles (clusters of relational qualities) and the relational dynamics (actions and corresponding reactions indicating the impact on the receiver of the message) that emerged in the course of the CFI. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with FPs and interviewees. Regarding the interviewees' perspective, their experiences (subjective impact) were used to identify FPs' interactional styles. Information was obtained from the FPs about their observations of interviewee behaviour, their assessment of the outcome of the information, and how they navigated the interview according to the phases of the PEACE model. Observational data were analysed using directed qualitative analysis, and interview data using framework analysis. Findings – Both effective and ineffective interpersonal styles adopted by FPs were obtained from the direct observations and subsequent interviews. Moreover, relational dynamics conducive (and not conducive) to interaction could be identified. Interestingly, FPs from both case studies A and B created an optimal interpersonal context and obtained the collaboration of interviewees at the start of the interview but failed to produce useful information. This research highlights the current gap in FPs' consideration of relational dynamics during CFIs. Relational dynamics conducive to interaction are crucial for the FP during commercial forensic investigations because they inform the process of obtaining information that could be effective (useful information) or ineffective (the lack of useful information). To our knowledge, no interviewing technique effectively addresses this lacuna. Hence, developing an integrated interviewing strategy and conceptual framework, one in which the structure of the PEACE model, the optimal interpersonal context of the person-centred approach (PCA), and the relational dynamics conducive to interaction are applied, may be of value to the commercial forensic investigative fraternity. Originality/value – The research finding can be used to observe the interpersonal styles and relational dynamics in play between the FP and multiple stakeholders. The findings are also useful for the development of a conceptual framework for commercial forensic interviewing.