It has been a long-term commitment for the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) to promote Rule of Law principles in Indonesia. For more than 12 years, NCHR has worked with Indonesian police and provided several trainings in the non-accusatory and non-coercive interviewing method investigative interviewing. This method is reflected in the Mendez principles.
Positive results leading to positive change
The current chief of Police in Wonosobo district in Indonesia is an alumnus of NCHR-courses, and has become an expert in investigative interviewing in his own right. In cooperation with the district authorities in Wonosobo, he initiated the building of a state of the art interview room at his police station with all the necessary equipment, such as video and voice recording systems. This will enable the police to keep oral evidence in its original form, so that the courts can verify statements given during interviews.
The new interview room in Wonosobo is used mostly in cases where women, children and other vulnerable persons are victims, witnesses or suspects of crimes. The efforts made by the local police has shown promising results, and has drawn the attention of the national police leadership.
Historic visit
The National Police Commission of Indonesia (Kompolnas), a monitoring body created to bring about a more accountable police force, visited the Wonosobo Police in October 2023 to learn more about the police’s work and the results achieved. During their visit, Kompolnas had the opportunity to visit the interview room used for investigative interviewing and get a first-hand impression. The Commission reacted very positive to both the methods employed as well as the specific facilities of the interview room.
The National Police Commission is now recommending the implementation of investigative interviewing and designated interview rooms for all police stations at province and district level across the country. This is not only a testament to the innovative work done by the Chief of Police in Wonosobo district, but a confirmation of the value of the investigative interviewing methods in securing human rights compliant policing.
