NSCR scientist Robin Kranendonk started as a postdoc in a partnership between NSCR and the Dutch Police Academy

Robin, originally a criminologist, has contributed since 2009 to research into the needs of victims in criminal proceedings, the comprehensibility of DNA reports, the content of official reports and the influence of images, sound and text on the judgment of suspect interviews. In addition, Robin has a background in the sustainable guidance of highly educated (young) adults who are at a distance from the labor market and employers. During her volunteer work in South Africa and Uganda, in addition to many wonderful experiences, she was also confronted with bottlenecks for vulnerable people in the criminal justice system:

'A case I was involved in concerned the gang rape of a disabled and profoundly mentally challenged girl. She found it difficult to express herself, let alone defend herself. During the report, the police officer asked whether the victim had voluntarily consented to sex, to which she laboriously answered 'yes'. It was clear that she did not understand the interviewer's questions and could not respond rationally, both out of incomprehension and fear.'

Bringing scientific insight and practice together

Robin's passions for criminal investigation and vulnerable people came together in her PhD research. This research focuses on the recognition and interview process of suspects with a mild intellectual disability during the investigative interview. Results show the positive effect of interview training (awareness, knowledge and practice) and the importance of the sustainable impact of relevant scientific insights into policy, education and professional practice.

This impact is also one of the fundamental principles of the 'Strategische Onderzoeksagenda Politie' (Strategic Police Research Agenda) 2023-2026, in which the research theme 'investigative interview' has acquired its own place. For centuries, the investigative interview of suspects and witnesses has played a prominent role in providing evidence in criminal cases. The Dutch investigative interview is currently subject to many changes. New scientific insights and guidelines regarding investigative interviewing (e.g. Méndez Principles) require further implementation in police education and practice.

Future research on the investigative interview

In the coming years, Robin will focus on technological research into, among other things, quality improvement and specialist knowledge utilization within various investigative interview situations. She works together with Nicolien Kop (lector in Crime Control & Criminal Investigation), Christianne de Poot (professor of Criminalistics (VU) and lecturer in Forensic Research) and interview education teachers from the Dutch Police Academy. At the NSCR she is involved in research by Nicola Palena and Stijn Ruiter into memory-enhancing techniques during witness interviews and in a study by Marijke Malsch and Pieter Vergouw into, among other things, the renunciation of the right to a lawyer by suspects with a mild intellectual disability.

Strengthening the evidence-based police practice

In the collaboration between the NSCR and the Dutch Police Academy, a connection is made between the 'Evidence-based Policing' research program (NSCR) and the Knowledge Center 'Detection and Crime Control' (Police Academy). The bundling of both knowledge bodies contributes to the scientific and practice-oriented interpretation and substantiation of an evidence-based police practice.

In short, the start of a valuable collaboration.

Read more about the research group Evidence-Based Policing of the NSCR