Tag: police procedure
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Sudden or Unexplained Deaths – the Work of the Coroner
Introduction When writing police procedural fiction, I have to make sure that the many aspects of UK law and procedure regarding sudden or unexplained deaths are accurate. While working on my latest novel, I realised I’d used some outdated terminology, specifically the term “open verdict.” So, I went back over the subject to make sure…
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The Cars of Fictional Detectives vs. Real Life
We’ve all seen it in British crime dramas—the brooding detective cruising the countryside in their iconic personal car. Think of Inspector Morse’s classic Jaguar Mk II, DI Lynley’s stately blue Bentley (on TV he has a Jensen Interceptor Mk II and then a Bristol 410), or even Vera’s old Land Rover Defender rattling along Northumberland’s…
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How Real Are Those TV Police Interviews?
(This is a follow-up from this article, which explains how interviews are carried out at a police station.) If you’ve ever watched a British crime drama, you’ve probably seen the scene a hundred times: a pair of gritty detectives show up on the doorstep of some crim’s flat, barely wait for the door to open,…
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Police Interview Method: Reality and Fiction
In the shadowy corridors of crime fiction, the image of a police detective grilling a suspect in a dimly lit room often makes for gripping drama. However, the reality of preparing for an interview is far removed from the oppressive and argumentative tactics we’ve come to expect from our favourite detective stories. Let’s step into…