BAHA-23 Response Not Accepted

Ban Harsh Approach in Tactical Questioning

Recommendation

The harsh approach should no longer have a place in tactical questioning. The MoD should forbid tactical questioners from using what is currently known as the harsh approach and this should be made clear in the tactical questioning policy and in all relevant training materials.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The Defence Secretary stated on 8 September 2011 that the government did not accept this recommendation. The Defence Secretary decided to retain the ability to use the harsh approach in tactical questioning, subject to strict parameters and safeguards including Ministerial approval (Government Response to the Baha Mousa Inquiry, Ministry of Defence, September 2011).
- No published evidence that this position has been subsequently reversed has been identified to March 2026.
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Not Accepted
Not Accepted Ministry of Defence
08 Sep 2011

Not accepted. The Defence Secretary decided not to accept this recommendation. The MoD retained the ability to use the harsh approach in tactical questioning, subject to strict parameters and safeguards.

Read Full Response
Progress Timeline
Official Report
08 Sep 2012

This recommendation was not accepted by the government. The Defence Secretary decided to retain the harsh approach for tactical questioning, subject to strict parameters and safeguards.

Source
Source
Inquiry Baha Mousa Inquiry
Report The Report of the Baha Mousa Inquiry - Volume III 08 Sep 2011
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Ministry of Defence Primary
Themes & Tags
Staff training and development Staff policy awareness Tactical Questioning Harsh Approach Training
Recommendation age 14.7 yrs
Last formal update 5013 days ago