The Long Game: Beyond Bad Apples. The Psychology of Motivation in Investigative Interviewing

What shapes an investigator's mindset — and does it matter more than their training? In this episode, Dr. Ivar Fahsing speaks with Ahmet Demirden, criminal justice academic and former Toronto Police Service officer, about the psychology behind investigative interviewing practice.

Drawing on two decades of experience across Canada, Turkey, and international training contexts, Ahmet Demirden introduces regulatory focus theory as a lens for understanding why officers interview the way they do — and why knowledge alone is rarely enough to change behaviour.

The conversation covers the gap between training and performance, the role of organisational culture and required drivers, the legal complexities of the Turkish inquisitorial system, and the emerging potential of AI and simulation technology to provide the feedback mechanisms that policing has long lacked.