Witness Interviewing and Statement Writing (MG11)
Course Overview
This specialist, practical one‑day course is designed for new or experienced investigators and enforcement officers, as well as law‑enforcement personnel transitioning into regulatory investigations.
Part 1: Writing your MG11 Witness Statement. You will learn to produce clear, defensible MG11 (s.9 CJA) statements that support your own account and case strategy.
Part 2: Interviewing Witnesses and Taking their MG11 Statements. Develop a structured, best‑practice approach to interviewing witnesses and capturing their evidence accurately without leading or coaching. You will also be working with key MG documents (incl. MG02, MG11, MG19, MG10 and others) supporting your criminal case file building.
Writing your own statement and interviewing a witness to take their statement require different approaches. You will leave with methods and checklists to assist you, and the confidence to apply them immediately in real cases.
Victim‑witnesses
Interviewing victims of crime requires trauma‑informed and safeguarding skills, as well as an understanding of the Victims’ Code and the rights it provides. This is covered in Advanced Witness & Victim Interviewing and Statement Writing (MG11, VPS/VIS, BIS).
Course details
Duration: 1 Day
Audience: New | Experienced Investigators
CPD: 6 hrs
Delivery: Virtual | face-to-face
(in-house)
Fees: £275 pp | One-Day Course Prices
Course Code: 25INVWIS
Additional Focus
The course combines and enhances your skills in:
(i) drafting your own MG11 (s.9 CJA) witness statement, and
(ii) interviewing witnesses and taking their witness statements to build stronger evidence.
Writing your own statement and interviewing a witness to take their statement are different disciplines requiring different skills. This course teaches both: clearly separated, but integrated across the day.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
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Explain how structured interviewing and precise drafting work together to produce statements that meet evidential and procedural standards.
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Establish clear, defensible links between witness accounts, contemporaneous notes, and exhibits; without compromising sensitive operational details.
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Apply adaptable interviewing strategies that support completeness, accuracy, and fairness across different witness types and contexts.
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Translate interviews into MG11 statements that are chronological, material-focused, and suitable for scrutiny by legal and enforcement professionals.
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Implement best-practice techniques for recording, reviewing, and presenting information in ways that support reliability and withstand legal challenge.
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Model professional communication behaviours that promote clarity, cooperation, and control in pressured or sensitive environments.
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Evaluate how empathy, legal precision, and appropriate support measures contribute to stronger, fairer, and more credible witness statements.