Interrogation of suspects on the Maltese Islands : a police perspective

Abstract

Interrogation conducted by police officers is viewed as a formidable process in which police use third degree torture to make the suspect confess his guilt. Though such practice was common for quite some time, modem day human rights movements have remarkably impacted upon legislative bodies to introduce certain rules that prohibit the use of third degree torture and hence protect the suspects' fundamental human rights. Although there is plenty of research about the police interrogation process, the majority of these studies tend to be one-dimensional in that they only take into account the humanistic perspective. There is paucity of literature that focuses on the perspectives and perceptions of the police in relation to the interrogation process. Third degree torture as a police interrogative tool has lessened the authority over the criminals. This study attempts to reveal the perspective of the police on the subject matter. Six police inspectors of the Maltese Police Force participated in the research. Their opinions and perceptions on the interrogation process and its legal framework were recorded and analysed. The results show that although police regard the rights of criminals very highly, they consider the legal reforms on the interrogation process as restrictive. Case in point is the limit of forty-eight hour imposed on a detainee in police custody.