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Intelligence & investigative support

Structured interviews with a neutral questioning method

Preparation, delivery or expert support of interviews in internal investigations — without coercive or deceptive techniques, with a documented course.

The way questions are asked determines both the quantity and the quality of the information obtained. IVSR prepares, conducts or professionally supports interviews with employees, witnesses, whistleblowers and other persons in internal investigations.

Each interview is planned around its purpose, the available material and the interviewee's position. The cognitive interview is a particular specialism of Bernarda Škrabar Damnjanović.

Possible scope

The scope follows the questions the engagement must answer — not the other way round.

  1. 01Defining the goals, topics and sequence of the interview.
  2. 02Review of available material before the interview.
  3. 03Assessment of the interviewee's vulnerability, needed adjustments and the risk of re-traumatisation.
  4. 04Conducting an informative, investigative or cognitive interview within the agreed frame.
  5. 05Contemporaneous documentation, without coercive or deceptive techniques.
  6. 06Review of the internal consistency of statements and comparison with other sources.
  7. 07Training internal investigators and managers.

You receive

An interview plan, a record or summary under the agreed procedure, a list of verifiable statements and a proposal of next steps.

Who it is for

For internal investigation teams, HR, legal and compliance functions, whistleblowing confidants and security teams.

Limitations and boundaries

  • An interview is not a polygraph test, a clinical assessment or questioning by a state authority.
  • Recording is permissible only with a proper legal basis, a prior assessment and the required notifications.

The concrete scope of the engagement is set after verifying its purpose, the client's authority, the legal basis, proportionality and technical feasibility. Where necessary, measures to reduce the intrusion into privacy, retention periods, access rights and the manner of documenting the handling of material are agreed before work begins.

Who performs what

IVSR
Research, advisory, methods and training
The full role separation
Professional leadBernarda Škrabar DamnjanovićChair of the Professional Council · CII Board Member

Related services

Next step

A confidential introductory conversation

Every engagement starts with a confidential conversation in which we jointly verify the purpose, the authority and the feasibility. Only then do we propose the scope and the way of working.

Arrange a conversation