An ‘investigative interview’ is an interview conducted to elicit evidence or information from a person (i.e., witness, victim, complainant or suspect) during the process of an investigation. Investigative interviews conducted by police can vary greatly in purpose, scope and content. The common objective of all investigative interviews, however, is to elicit the most accurate, complete and detailed account of an incident in question. Although physical evidence can also be useful, interviews are usually central to police investigations. This is particularly the case for those interviews conducted in the initial phase of the investigation when people's memory is more complete, their perceptions are less likely to be tainted by later influences and the direction of the investigation is still being determined.