Giving a statement at the police station

Preparation

Your legal rights protection officer will prepare you for the statement and what to expect. It is also recommended to have them present during the statement itself. If you have yet to find a legal rights protection officer, you can get a list of lawyers from the police, request to be assigned one, or contact a lawyer you want to take on the case.

Location

The statement takes place in an interview room at the police station.

More about the statement

• The interview is recorded, both audio and video.
• In the room are you, an investigator with the police, and your legal rights protection officer. If you need an interpreter, they are also present.
• If you later realize that not everything came out in the statement, you can contact the investigator or your legal rights protection officer and ask to add information to the report. The investigator may then call you in again for a statement so that the additional information is on record.

Good to know

• It can help to have spoken aloud about the event before you come in for the statement. This can help you to speak clearly and make the process easier. You can do this on your own, with someone you trust, or with a legal rights protection officer.
• You may bring notes, a notebook to write in, or a prepared text.
• You may request a different investigator to take the statement if you do not feel comfortable discussing the matter with the investigator who receives you.
• Do not conceal alcohol consumption or drug use. It does not affect your status but can assist in the investigation of the case.
• After giving a statement, you can expect to be exhausted, so it is not advisable to go back to work or run errands immediately afterward.
• It is best to give as clear a description of the offense as possible and not hesitate to use the correct words for things, for example, for body parts. Investigators are very used to hearing everything related to domestic violence.
• The statement usually takes about an hour. Sometimes it takes longer, so it is good to allow for that.

Unexpected aspects

Some things might surprise you in the statement. For example:

• The statement can seem cold. The reason is that those investigating the case must be impartial. Their goal, however, is to get as much information as possible about what happened, so try as much as possible not to let that bother you too much.
• The investigator conducting the interview is not in a police uniform but in their own clothes.

After giving a statement

Returning for another statement

During the investigation, the police may call you in for another statement to shed light on something that has come up in the investigation or ask you for some information. In that case, the police will contact your legal rights protection officer, who will assist you in responding.

A wait of several months

Now the police investigate the case. A police investigation can take several months. There is little you can do other than to take good care of your safety and recovery after the trauma. It has proven helpful for many survivors to separate the recovery process on the one hand and the progress of the case in the legal system on the other.