Police interviews in Scotland – use of appropriate adults
| Published date | 14 December 2015 |
| Date | 14 December 2015 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JIDOB-08-2015-0023 |
| Pages | 195-203 |
| Author | Keith Bowden,Ian Wilson |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Learning & intellectual disabilities,Offending behaviour |
Police interviews in Scotland –use of
appropriate adults
Keith Bowden and Ian Wilson
Dr Keith Bowden is Consultant
Clinical Psychologist at
Psychology Service, NHS Forth
Valley, Falkirk Community
Hospital, Falkirk, UK.
Ian Wilson is based at
Social Work, Fife Council,
Glenrothes, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to show the development of Appropriate Adult services in Scotland
over the past nine years and considers how this differs from the rest of the UK.
Design/methodology/approach –New analysis of existing statistical information is provided to show
pattern of demand, type of interview, nature of mental disorder involved and regional differences.
Findings –Growth in demand for services is identified for both suspect and witness interviews, with people
with learning disabilities most frequently receiving support. There is significant variation in the pattern of
referrals across Scotland.
Practical implications –The results reflect heightened awareness amongst police officers of the need for
Appropriate Adults, but there should be examination of the different types of provision to promote equity
of service.
Originality/value –This is the first time that these figures have been collated and subject to analysis. They
provide comparative information within Scotland that is also of relevance to the rest of the UK.
Keywords Scotland, Witness, Appropriate adult, Mental disorder, Police interview, Suspect
Paper type Research paper
The role of “appropriate adult”(AA) was introduced in England and Wales with the enactment of
the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). This provided that a person with a mental
disorder being interviewed as a suspect should have an AA involved throughout the process to
advise them, observe whether or not the interview is being conducted properly and fairly and
to facilitate communication. Research on the functioning and effectiveness of the role has
highlighted a number of issues. A number of studies have highlighted the difficulty police officers
have in identifying suspects who have a mental disorder and even when this is clearly identified
there are many examples of AAs not being called. Medford et al. (2003) reported on an analysis
of 365 taped interviews with adult “psychologically vulnerable”suspects and found that only 212
(58 per cent) of these interviewees had an AA. Young et al. (2013) noted that having identified
13 people as potentially having a learning disability, only seven people were identified as such by
a police screening tool and only two were provided with an AA. Similar difficulties in relation to
people with mental illness have been identified by McKinnon et al. (2013). Out of 96 detainees
they identified as presenting with some form of mental disorder, police screening identified 59
(including nine where researchers found no evidence of mental disorder. The researchers
identified 28 people as requiring an AA but only 12 had one provided. Other concerns include the
suitability of some persons who acted as AAs, including family members and care professionals
not being clear about what the role entails (Pearse and Gudjonsson, 1996; Pierpoint, 2001).
There have also been difficulties with availability of AAs (Nemitz and Bean, 2001). These issues
were confirmed in the “There to help”report (Bath et al., 2015).
AA arrangements in Scotland have a number of distinctive features compared to the rest of
the UK. In July 1990, a Scottish Home and Health Department Police Circular introduced the
Received 28 August 2015
Revised 30 September 2015
Accepted 12 October 2015
DOI 10.1108/JIDOB-08-2015-0023 VOL. 6 NO. 3/4 2015, pp.195-203, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8824
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JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR
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