PEACE

PEACE is not a lie detector

This page is for stage-one research, evidence gathering, and safer conversations. It does not train people to conduct police interviews, accuse someone, or decide whether a person is lying. Consider seeking professional or legal advice for matters beyond stage-one research, especially where there is risk, coercion, fraud, safeguarding, or a court deadline.

Why PEACE was created

PEACE developed in England and Wales in the early 1990s as policing moved away from confession-led interrogation and towards ethical, information-gathering interviews. The history matters: pressure, tunnel vision, leading questions, and confirmation bias can produce bad evidence. A non-accusatory approach helps protect both the person raising concern and the person being asked about it.

The old risk

Confession culture and accusatory questioning can push an interview toward the interviewer's theory instead of the truth. That is dangerous in families too: once a story forms, everyone may start forcing facts to fit it.

The PEACE shift

The College of Policing describes investigative interviewing as central to investigation, with the PEACE framework structuring interviews through planning, engagement, account, closure, and evaluation.

How it helps here

Will concerns often begin as subtle signs: changed access, odd wording, delayed documents, different stories, or a person who suddenly cannot speak freely. PEACE helps slow the process down so small signs become usable facts.

The five PEACE stages

Stage	Interview meaning	Public use for will concerns
Planning and preparation	Clarify the purpose, facts known, gaps, documents, risks, welfare needs, legal context, and what must not be assumed.	Before speaking to anyone, make a short plan: what happened, what needs checking, what evidence exists, what is urgent, and what could contaminate memory or escalate risk.
Engage and explain	Build rapport, explain why the conversation is happening, set expectations, and reduce unnecessary anxiety.	Use calm wording. Explain that the aim is to understand documents, dates, decisions, and safety, not to trap or shame someone.
Account, clarification and challenge	Let the person give their account, then clarify details and only later test inconsistencies against evidence.	Start with open prompts such as "Tell me what happened." Do not begin with accusations. After the account, check dates, attendees, documents, messages, and contradictions.
Closure	Summarise carefully, check accuracy, explain next steps, and leave the interviewee clear about what happens next.	Write down what was said, what documents are still needed, who will check what, and what deadline matters. Avoid ending with vague promises.
Evaluation	Review the quality of the account, the process, new lines of enquiry, and whether assumptions changed.	Ask: what did this add, what remains unverified, what points toward or away from the concern, and what should be checked before the next conversation?

The ABC approach for this project

ABC is not an official PEACE acronym. It is a simple public shorthand for using PEACE-style thinking when subtle signs suggest that something is off.

A: Account first

Let the person give their own account before showing them your theory. Use open prompts: "Tell me everything you remember", "Explain how that was arranged", "Describe who was there". Free accounts reduce the risk of leading someone.

B: Build the baseline

Baseline means ordinary context, not body-language guesswork. What was normal before: who visited, who managed money, who arranged appointments, how the person spoke, and what documents usually existed?

C: Corroborate and compare

Compare the account with documents, dates, messages, bank records, solicitor notes, medical context, visitor logs, and other witnesses. A subtle sign becomes stronger when independent records support it.

Why subtle signs are key

Subtle sign	PEACE-style question	Evidence to seek
The vulnerable person suddenly stops speaking privately.	"Tell me how calls and visits changed. Who made that decision?"	Call logs, messages, visitor notes, care records, access arrangements, and witness observations.
One person controls solicitor contact.	"Explain who found the solicitor, who paid, who attended, and whether private instructions were taken."	Engagement letter, invoice, attendance notes, emails, file request, and capacity notes.
Family stories change after a new beneficiary appears.	"Describe the first time you heard that story. Who said it, and what proof was given?"	Messages, old letters, witness accounts, timeline, previous wills, and relationship history.
Documents are delayed, fragmented, or "lost".	"What document exists, where was it kept, who last saw it, and what has been searched?"	Search log, photographs, emails, storage receipts, solicitor file, probate record, and will search report.
Someone reacts strongly to calm factual questions.	"What specific question caused the reaction, and what answer was avoided?"	Written questions, replies, dates, screenshots, call notes, and witness names.
Estate figures do not match what people knew.	"Walk me through each asset and value. What source was used for each figure?"	Public probate value, valuations, bank statements, sale prices, HMRC forms, estate accounts, and property records.

Question styles that help

Use open prompts first

Tell me what happened from the beginning.
Explain how the will meeting was arranged.
Describe who was present and what each person did.
Tell me what changed after the hospital visit.
Explain how you know that document exists.

Avoid poisoning the account

Do not start with "They forced her, didn't they?"
Do not feed the answer you want.
Do not treat tears, anger, charm, silence, or confidence as proof.
Do not mix ten concerns into one question.
Do not confront if it could increase danger or destroy evidence.

Where PEACE fits in this project

Before a solicitor call

Use PEACE to build a clean account, not a dramatic allegation. A solicitor can work faster with dates, documents, source links, and what has already been checked.

Before a family conversation

Use it to stay factual: one subject, one timeline, one request for documents. If the conversation becomes unsafe or manipulative, stop and use a safer route.

Before reporting concern

Use it to separate what is known, what is suspected, what needs safeguarding, and what may need police, HMRC, OPG, ombudsman, or probate advice.