Giving a statement to police

This web page is part of the Guide to the Icelandic justice system for 15-17 year olds who have experienced sexual abuse.

Preparation

Your legal rights protector (ice. réttargæslumaður) prepares you for giving a statement and what to expect. It’s also recommended to have your legal rights protector with you when you go in to give the statement. If you have yet to find a legal rights protector, you can get a list of lawyers from the police.

Location

The interview takes place in an interview room at a police station. Sometimes the interview takes place at the Children’s House (Barnahús).

More about giving a statement:

• The interview is recorded in both audio and video format.
• The people present in the room are you, the police investigator, and your legal rights protector. If you need an interpreter, they are also present.
• If you realise later that you could have said more, you can contact the investigator or your legal rights protector and ask to add to your statement. Then the investigator might call you in for another interview so that the additional information is also recorded.
• Giving a statement does not have to automatically entail pressing charges.
• You can bring notes with you, a notebook to write in, or a pre-written text.

Good to know

• Before you and your legal rights protector go in to give a statement, your legal rights protector will go over the process with you and what you need to have with you.
• It’s good to have talked about the incident out loud before you go in for the interview. That can help you to recount everything clearly and make the process easier. You can do so on your own, with someone you trust, or with your legal rights protector.
• You can bring notes with you, a notebook to write in, or a pre-written text.
• You can ask for a different investigator to interview you if you don’t feel comfortable discussing the case with the investigator who receives you.
• Do not hide consumption of alcohol or use of drugs. It does not impact your status and can help with the case investigation.
• After giving a statement, you can expect to feel exhausted, so it is not recommended to return to work or run errands immediately afterwards.
• It is important to give the best possible description of the offence and to not hesitate to use the correct words for things such as body parts. Investigators are very used to hearing everything about this type of offence.

Things you may not expect

There are various things that could surprise you about the process of giving a statement. Here are some examples:

• The interview can seem impersonal. The reason is that those who investigate the case are required to be impartial. Their goal is nevertheless to get as much information as possible about what happened, so try to the best of your ability to not let it bother you too much.
• The investigator needs to ask many uncomfortable questions. For example, about very personal or vulnerable experiences, your clothing, and your condition. This is not in order to judge you, it is because this information is essential for the investigation of the case. Information about clothing, for example, could be used to find you on security camera footage so your whereabouts before and after the event can be traced.
• The investigator who conducts the interview is not in police uniform, rather in their own clothing.

After giving a statement

Now there is a wait of several months while police investigate the case. There is little you can do other than focus on building yourself back up after the trauma. In Northeast Iceland, the police offer you psychological support after giving a statement.

Another interview

While the investigation is ongoing the police may call you in for another interview to shed light on something that has emerged during the investigation or ask you for some data. If so, the police will contact your legal rights protector who will assist you in answering.

Duration

It usually takes around an hour to give a statement. Sometimes it takes longer, so it is good to schedule extra time.