Hypnosis new police tool?

Press, 23 April 1979, Page 6

Hypnosis new police tool?

PA Wellington Hypnosis may be used in the fight against crime. The police are investigating hypnosis as a means of obtaining extra evidence from witnesses to certain types of crime, according to the deputy director of crime at the police national headquarters (Chief Inspector B. F. Scott). But he said that research into the use of hypnosis was still at an early stage and the police had not yet held trials. “I am still looking at who is qualified to do this sort of thing,” he said. The New Zealand research had developed as a result of articles in overseas police magazines and information received about the success of the method. Hypnosis would be used on witnesses only; not on offenders. This applied particularly to rape or abduction victims,

on whom hypnosis had been successful overseas. “With the witness under hypnosis we may be able to get more information which would lead us to the offender,” said Mr Scott. Under normal conditions some persons would not recall anything about a particular incident but they could remember under hypnosis. Mr Scott could see no legal problems arising with the use of the method: hypnosis would not be used on the witness when in court. He described the extra detail the police could get from a witness under hypnosis as “just bonus information.” Study into the method was being made in conjunction with the director of police medical services. The method had been used successfully in the United States and Australia.