The Use of Subterfuge in Law Enforcement: An Assessment of Reliability and Validity.

The questionable reliability and validity of subterfuge in law enforcement has gained increasing attention, with prominent cases including that of R v Brett Peter Cowan. This report provides an assessment in respect of the use of subterfuge in law enforcement. In the main, police subterfuge can be defined as: the use by law enforcement of covert deceptive tactical methods in order to gain confession or other firm evidence in respect of the guilt of the suspect or accused. Such tactical deception may include misleading representation of investigator identity and purpose pertaining to communications with the suspect, in addition to a spectrum of other deceptive measures. The assessment conducted in the current report revolves around comparison with ethical procedures implemented in high-level professions in addition to consideration of core scientific principles. Precedent for the method of comparative analysis employed in the current assessment is discussed. The conclusion drawn: Based on the current assessment, it would seem reasonable that the validity of subterfuge employed by law enforcement undergo rigorous scientific testing.