At Madrid’s Canillas police complex, the National Police’s Sección de Análisis de la Conducta (SAC) uses psychology to draw out information standard interviews often miss. Its approach has changed how Spain handles its toughest cases, easing pressure and helping people feel at ease.
Led by inspector jefe David Fernández and subinspectora Belén, these police psychologists step in when regular tactics hit a wall. Their interviews aren’t about forcing confessions. They build trust, set clear boundaries and give suspects, witnesses or victims room to talk, even when some questions go unanswered. The approach can uncover details that move stalled investigations forward.
In 2023, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported a 30% increase in requests for psychological analysis in criminal investigations compared with the previous year.
Over the past three years, the SAC has worked on 15 to 25 cases each year. Its influence dates back to 2010, and its input has shaped hundreds of cases. Its tools include cognitive interviews, criminal profiling and psychological autopsies. These methods have helped solve cases such as the murder of Denise Pikka Thiem and the Ciudad Lineal child abuse investigation.
In one case, survivors of a sect said hours spent with the SAC helped them make sense of their trauma, something earlier interviews hadn’t managed. In another, a single detail from a rushed interview led to the discovery of a missing person’s body and the arrest of three suspects. Families often thank the section for treating them with care, rather than reducing them to case numbers.
The SAC’s work extends beyond suspects. Its agents also profile victims and witnesses, including children, to assess the reliability of their statements. When it is unclear whether a death was a suicide, accident or murder, psychological autopsies help reconstruct the person’s life and relationships. In 2012, SAC analysts pieced together Mario Miralles’s psychological profile and the crime scene, revealing that his death in Ontinyent was a suicide staged as murder, inspired by the film "La vida de David Gale."
El País reported in 2022 that the SAC had contributed expert testimony in over 40 high-profile court cases across Spain. Judges increasingly rely on its psychological assessments to inform verdicts. The unit’s collaboration with regional police forces had also expanded, reflecting a nationwide trend toward integrating behavioral analysis into standard investigative procedures.
All SAC agents are trained psychologists, chosen for their analytical and social skills, as well as their ability to handle uncertainty. New members train for at least two years before working independently. The section’s methods are based on the Spanish-developed VERA model (Victim, Scene, Reconstruction, Offender), influenced by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and European experts such as David Canter and Aldert Vrij.
Demand for the SAC’s help is rising. Its agents are called as expert witnesses in court and travel across Spain to support investigations. The work rarely fits a textbook; every case calls for flexibility and emotional strength. As Belén points out, the emotional impact can linger and follow agents home. She once recognized a child’s clothing from a case in her own son’s wardrobe.
Recent cases, including the abuse investigation at the Waldorf school in Zaragoza, have shown the SAC’s skill in connecting with victims and obtaining impressive testimony. Its approach breaks with the old image of police interrogations, putting respect and psychological understanding at the center of the work.
The SAC’s methods don’t replace standard police work; they add impartial analysis and depth. Its findings can shift investigations and clarify motives. Spain’s use of psychological analysis in policing reflects a wider move toward multidisciplinary strategies in law enforcement, also seen in recent cases such as the investigation into border operations in Ceuta.
The SAC’s work shows how understanding human behavior can help investigators, support families and strengthen trust in the justice system. As criminal cases grow more complicated, demand for this expertise is likely to rise, making the section an increasingly impressive part of Spanish law enforcement.
