AC1.1: Evaluate personnel
The police’s main job role is to protect the general public and help to ensure that the law is
being enforced. The police respond to emergencies; they arrest suspects and prepare case
files. Additionally, the police also attend public events like football matches and large
concerts to help manage large crowds. To become a police officer, it is vital that you have a
GSCE in maths and English and two A-levels or a degree to join the police. The police force is
funded by taxes made up of national government funding and local council tax. The police
force costs the UK approximately £19.5 billion a year. The starting salary of a police officer is
around £29,907 and typically rises to around £48,000 for a more experienced officer. The
police are available to the public 24 hours a day 7 days a week all throughout the year. This is
so they can respond to emergencies and keep the law enforced at all times. There are many
strengths of the police force, one being their availability. The police being available 24/7 has
many advantages including ensuring that the public are always safe and keeping an eye on
crime sometimes acting as a deterrent. Another strength is that they have the power to
arrest and detain people this helps to protect the public and prevent more crime from
happening. A last advantage is that the police go through specialist training which makes
them highly qualified to deal with high profile crimes and investigations a case that
represents this is the case of The Soham murders. The Police were able to create a map of
where Ian Huntley had taken the girls by using CCTV. On the other hand, there are also
weaknesses of the police. One weakness being that there is a bad relationship between the
police and the public due to the public's perception. This has been partially created by the
media, the media creates a portrait of the police that views them in a highly negative way,
the public view this on the media leading them to have bad views on the police. This makes
the public have little to no trust towards the police and makes it hard for officers to do their
job. Another weakness is that the police have a large mental and physical strain put on
them. The police in the UK are understaffed and over stretched with work which can have a
detrimental effect on how crime is dealt with. A last weakness of the police is that they have
a limited and low budget that restricts things like staff training and equipment. A case study
that demonstrates the ineffectiveness of police personnel is the case of Stephen Lawrence.
Stephen Lawrence was a black teenager who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in
London. Stephen was waiting in a bus stop when he was brutally stabbed to death by a
white gang. Suspects were charged for Stephen Lawrences murder, but the charges were
dropped. In 1998 the Macpherson report looked into the death of Stephen and stated that
case was dealt with in an intuitionally racist way by the police. The police failed to arrest
suspects quickly and they did not secure the crime scene properly for evidence to be
secured.
A Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) is a specialist person who investigate and gather evidence
from a crime scene. They search for any trace evidence like fingerprints, gunshot residue,
hair, fibres and blood. A SOCO secures a crime scene to prevent it being contaminated. To
become a SOCO you need to have at least 5 GSCEs and a relevant degree for example
, forensic science to be able to start training to become a SOCO. SOCO’s averagely earn
between £17,000-£26,000 with more experienced officers earning £43,000 or more. In
metropolitan areas such as London, Manchester and Birmingham SOCO units are on shift
24/7 however in smaller areas they are usually just on-call. A Scenes of Crime officer offers
many strengths; one strength is a SOCO’s attention to detail, this is important to have as it
helps them gather evidence from a crime scene to help with an investigation. A second
strength is their scientific expertise, having high scientific knowledge is vital for for a Scenes
of Crime officer as they need the knowledge to collect and gather the correct evidence
needed for a criminal investigation, a case that shows this is the case of The Soham murders.
The SOCO’s were a huge part of the case, the police discovered fibres and hair of Ian Huntley
on the bin where the girl's tops were left. A last strength of a SOCO is that they are highly
qualified for their job, this ensures that they wear the correct protective uniform, and they
secure the crime scene efficiently to stop contamination this is all vital to make sure that
they can gather evidence for investigation. On the other hand, there are also weaknesses of
a SOCO, one weakness being that they are exposed to hazardous substances and drugs all
the time meaning that they need to be cautious by wearing the correct PPE. Another
weakness is that it takes years of training, efficiency, composure as well as attention to detail
to be a Scenes of Crime Officer, this can put a strain on officers sometimes leading to a
mistake at a scene. A last weakness is that a Scenes of Crime Officer has a relatively
important job to partake in an investigation however they are not involved in the whole
process of the investigation which can lead to their work being even harder and more
difficult to do. A case study that demonstrates the ineffectiveness of a Scenes of Crime
Officer is the case of Amanda Knox. In 2007 Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele
Sollecito were accused of murdering Amanda’s roommate, Meredith Kercher. After being
cleared of the murder charges, evidence was questioned as there were concerns with the
secureness of the crime scene which led to contamination of evidence and inconsistent
findings.
A forensic scientist role is to analyse evidence from a crime scene and provide the evidence
in a report for the case. They take samples like blood and bodily fluids to analyse. To become
a forensic scientist, it is vital that you have a degree in science; either forensic science,
chemistry or biology and a post-graduate degree is also useful. It is also beneficial to have
relevant a-levels in science and some work experience relating to forensics is also helpful. In
the UK the average entry level salary for a forensic scientist is around £20,000 and for a
higher, more experienced forensic scientist salary can rise to around £50,000. In the UK
forensic scientist are available on a 24/7 service all year round, there normal working hours
are Monday to Sunday 7.00am-23.00pm. Forensic scientists have many strengths one
strengths being that they have a crucial role in a criminal investigation for example in the
case of the Soham murders the forensic science was vital in the investigation. A forensic
scientist (botanist), Patricia Wiltshire found new side shoots on stinging nettles at the same
spot the girl's bodies were found, from this she managed to trace the nettles that had been
stepped on 13 days before, the day Holly Well and Jessica Chapman were murdered.
The police’s main job role is to protect the general public and help to ensure that the law is
being enforced. The police respond to emergencies; they arrest suspects and prepare case
files. Additionally, the police also attend public events like football matches and large
concerts to help manage large crowds. To become a police officer, it is vital that you have a
GSCE in maths and English and two A-levels or a degree to join the police. The police force is
funded by taxes made up of national government funding and local council tax. The police
force costs the UK approximately £19.5 billion a year. The starting salary of a police officer is
around £29,907 and typically rises to around £48,000 for a more experienced officer. The
police are available to the public 24 hours a day 7 days a week all throughout the year. This is
so they can respond to emergencies and keep the law enforced at all times. There are many
strengths of the police force, one being their availability. The police being available 24/7 has
many advantages including ensuring that the public are always safe and keeping an eye on
crime sometimes acting as a deterrent. Another strength is that they have the power to
arrest and detain people this helps to protect the public and prevent more crime from
happening. A last advantage is that the police go through specialist training which makes
them highly qualified to deal with high profile crimes and investigations a case that
represents this is the case of The Soham murders. The Police were able to create a map of
where Ian Huntley had taken the girls by using CCTV. On the other hand, there are also
weaknesses of the police. One weakness being that there is a bad relationship between the
police and the public due to the public's perception. This has been partially created by the
media, the media creates a portrait of the police that views them in a highly negative way,
the public view this on the media leading them to have bad views on the police. This makes
the public have little to no trust towards the police and makes it hard for officers to do their
job. Another weakness is that the police have a large mental and physical strain put on
them. The police in the UK are understaffed and over stretched with work which can have a
detrimental effect on how crime is dealt with. A last weakness of the police is that they have
a limited and low budget that restricts things like staff training and equipment. A case study
that demonstrates the ineffectiveness of police personnel is the case of Stephen Lawrence.
Stephen Lawrence was a black teenager who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in
London. Stephen was waiting in a bus stop when he was brutally stabbed to death by a
white gang. Suspects were charged for Stephen Lawrences murder, but the charges were
dropped. In 1998 the Macpherson report looked into the death of Stephen and stated that
case was dealt with in an intuitionally racist way by the police. The police failed to arrest
suspects quickly and they did not secure the crime scene properly for evidence to be
secured.
A Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) is a specialist person who investigate and gather evidence
from a crime scene. They search for any trace evidence like fingerprints, gunshot residue,
hair, fibres and blood. A SOCO secures a crime scene to prevent it being contaminated. To
become a SOCO you need to have at least 5 GSCEs and a relevant degree for example
, forensic science to be able to start training to become a SOCO. SOCO’s averagely earn
between £17,000-£26,000 with more experienced officers earning £43,000 or more. In
metropolitan areas such as London, Manchester and Birmingham SOCO units are on shift
24/7 however in smaller areas they are usually just on-call. A Scenes of Crime officer offers
many strengths; one strength is a SOCO’s attention to detail, this is important to have as it
helps them gather evidence from a crime scene to help with an investigation. A second
strength is their scientific expertise, having high scientific knowledge is vital for for a Scenes
of Crime officer as they need the knowledge to collect and gather the correct evidence
needed for a criminal investigation, a case that shows this is the case of The Soham murders.
The SOCO’s were a huge part of the case, the police discovered fibres and hair of Ian Huntley
on the bin where the girl's tops were left. A last strength of a SOCO is that they are highly
qualified for their job, this ensures that they wear the correct protective uniform, and they
secure the crime scene efficiently to stop contamination this is all vital to make sure that
they can gather evidence for investigation. On the other hand, there are also weaknesses of
a SOCO, one weakness being that they are exposed to hazardous substances and drugs all
the time meaning that they need to be cautious by wearing the correct PPE. Another
weakness is that it takes years of training, efficiency, composure as well as attention to detail
to be a Scenes of Crime Officer, this can put a strain on officers sometimes leading to a
mistake at a scene. A last weakness is that a Scenes of Crime Officer has a relatively
important job to partake in an investigation however they are not involved in the whole
process of the investigation which can lead to their work being even harder and more
difficult to do. A case study that demonstrates the ineffectiveness of a Scenes of Crime
Officer is the case of Amanda Knox. In 2007 Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele
Sollecito were accused of murdering Amanda’s roommate, Meredith Kercher. After being
cleared of the murder charges, evidence was questioned as there were concerns with the
secureness of the crime scene which led to contamination of evidence and inconsistent
findings.
A forensic scientist role is to analyse evidence from a crime scene and provide the evidence
in a report for the case. They take samples like blood and bodily fluids to analyse. To become
a forensic scientist, it is vital that you have a degree in science; either forensic science,
chemistry or biology and a post-graduate degree is also useful. It is also beneficial to have
relevant a-levels in science and some work experience relating to forensics is also helpful. In
the UK the average entry level salary for a forensic scientist is around £20,000 and for a
higher, more experienced forensic scientist salary can rise to around £50,000. In the UK
forensic scientist are available on a 24/7 service all year round, there normal working hours
are Monday to Sunday 7.00am-23.00pm. Forensic scientists have many strengths one
strengths being that they have a crucial role in a criminal investigation for example in the
case of the Soham murders the forensic science was vital in the investigation. A forensic
scientist (botanist), Patricia Wiltshire found new side shoots on stinging nettles at the same
spot the girl's bodies were found, from this she managed to trace the nettles that had been
stepped on 13 days before, the day Holly Well and Jessica Chapman were murdered.
