DOI:10.6129/CJP.202203_64(1).0006
Chinese Journal of Psychology 2022, Vol.64, No.1, 111-136
Investigative Decision-Making by Criminal Investigators in Taiwan
Chih-Hung Shih（Department of Criminal Investigation, Central Police University）；Ivar Fahsing（Norwegian Police University College, Departement for Post-graduate Studies in Criminal Investigations Department）；Jhih-Cing Yang（Criminal Investigation Division, Taipei City Police Department）
Abstract
Criminal investigation, which is generally conducted in knowledge-intensive and time-sensitive environments, presents a critical challenge to criminal investigators. The success of a criminal investigation significantly depends on the investigator’s ability to generate possible investigative hypotheses and test those using different lines of inquiry. Criminal investigation is conventionally considered a skill, where the investigator’s field experiences are crucial to improve the field. A few studies have focused on investigative decision making in Taiwan. This research aims to examine the effects of professional experience and investigative tipping points on the quality of investigative hypotheses and investigative actions conducted by investigators. A quasi-experimental design developed by Fahsing & Ask (2016) was employed, where 32 senior investigators and novice police officers were presented with two semi-fictitious cases. They were asked to report all the relevant investigative hypotheses and necessary investigative actions, which were evaluated against the established gold standard. The results showed that investigators with greater professional experience presented improved investigative actions but not hypotheses. In particular, participants tended to generate criminal hypotheses and ignored noncriminal ones. The investigative tipping point did not have a significant effect on the participants’ responses concerning the production of gold-standard hypotheses and lines of inquiry. Hence, it was arrived at the conclusion that investigative decision making actually existed in criminal investigation process, which could not be improved without systematical and continued training. Finally, several suggestions have been proposed in this study for the research and training of investigative thinking in Taiwan.
Keywords: Criminal investigation, investigative decision making, investigative hypothesis.
