Overall crim notes
1.1
Police:
The first personnel involved in criminal investigations is police officers. They are trained
professionals whose job is to reduce, solve and tackle crime. They are usually the first to
arrive at crime scenes where they secure the scene, arrest suspects if they are at the
scene and take statements from witnesses and victims. Police detectives work in
specialist departments, involving serious crime. A strength of police officers is their
availability. Officers run on a 24-hour basis, working weekends and bank holidays, there
are also approximately 142,000 police officers in the UK. This is a strength as they are
constantly available, so they can secure scenes as quickly as possible to conserve
possible evidence. Having lots of police officers means there is enough police to reach
crime scenes in any area, which aids the “golden hour” as they can get there quick.
However, a limitation of the police could be their expertise. Although they receive
training, you do not need any specific qualifications to be an average police officer,
meaning a lack of training and qualification could lead to errors such as evidence
contamination. Another strength of the police is their cost. The average salary of a
police officer is around 30,000 a year, which is a low cost compared to other roles in
criminal investigations. This ensures reliable availability of officers, as the government
can afford their constant recruitment. This is a strength because it means there will
always be enough officers to respond to a crime scene at any time. Another weakness
of police officers is institutional racism, which is shown through the case of Stephen
Lawrence, who was brutally murdered in a hate crime. The police did not recognise his
case as a hate crime due to the racism of the police by assuming it was an inter-gang
murder because of his race. They also did not pursue suspects due to corruption in the
police force, which was shown in the McPherson report 1999. The relevance of this is it
shows that justice is not always served from police officers, due to racial bias and
institutional racism clouding their judgement and not pursuing correct leads.
Crime scene investigators have a significant role in criminal investigations. They are not
police officers, but they are still available 24/7 and have specialist training. Their role is
to collect and process evidence from a crime scene, by photographing and packaging
evidence. They also may give evidence in court. A strength is their availability, there are
4000 CSI in the UK, who work on a 24/7 basis, meaning they are available all day so they
can get to crime scenes as soon as possible instead of waiting until the morning, by
which the evidence may have been contaminated. Another strength is their expertise,
they are trained and qualified in collecting evidence by using a wide range of equipment,
as they require on the job experience, which will benefit the investigation. This is
,because they have the correct and required knowledge and skills to carry out
investigating the scene correctly. On the other hand, CSI have a few limitations such as
their cost, their salary is around 16,000 which is very low especially when the work
might be very emotionally traumatic, leading to burn out and staff leaving. This is a
weakness because the UK may have a shortage of CSI, meaning they won't be available
to reach crime scenes at any time, making the investigation take longer. Another
limitation is the risk of the CSI contaminating themselves with dangerous or toxic
substances or even contaminating the crime scene. An example of this is the case of
Amanda Knox, who was convicted of the murder of Meredith Kercher, even before all the
physical evidence had been collected from the scene. Her DNA was found on the
murder weapon but was later found to be present due to contamination. During the
case, DNA procedures were not followed, for example Kerchers bra clasp was collected
so late that contamination was extremely likely.
Another personnel involved with criminal investigations is forensic scientists. Their job
is to analyse and review evidence that has been collected from crime scenes. Instead of
working at the crime scene, they work in laboratories, to extract DNA, fingerprints,
textile fibres and body fluids from evidence. A strength of forensic scientists is their
expertise, forensic scientists are highly trained to a degree level, some the extra work
experience. This is a strength because expertise is vital to criminal investigations,
especially with cold or complex cases and getting hard ground evidence of someone’s
innocence or guilt. Another strength is their availability as they work shift patterns
meaning they are constantly available on a 24/7 basis. This is a strength because they
can analyse and extract scientific evidence quickly and at any time, which quickens the
process of criminal investigations. A limitation is their cost, as budgets for forensic
scientists have been cut 50% since 2008 and now 80% of forensic investigations are
carried out in police labs to save money. This is a limitation because it leaves chance for
miscarriage of justice because police labs don’t go through the same accreditation
process, meaning they may not be as good quality. Another limitation is contamination
might occur when evidence is examined by scientists, which is shown in the case of
Adam Scott, who was charged of rape in 2011. During this case, DNA samples were
taken from the victim's genitals, which matched Adam’s sample. Later in the
investigation, it was revealed that the lab had handled Scotts DNA sample after a
spitting incident in Exeter. Contamination occurred as the same plate used to analyse
Scotts sample was used in the rape case, which resulted in his wrongful arrest, showing
how contamination of evidence is a weakness as it can lead to miscarriages of justice.
Another personnel involved is forensic pathologists. Their role is to study what the
cause of death was and identify if there was any foul play. They also help advice the
police on how to move out a body, in a way that will preserve the evidence. They can be
called as an expert witness at court to present evidence they have found from
examining the body. A strength of forensic pathologists is their expertise. They are highly
, trained as the job requires medical school and 4 years of specialist training to become a
pathologist. This is a strength because they are qualified in investigating causes of
death by analysing organs and body tissues, which expertise is vital in solving cases and
finding clues. Another strength is their availability. They offer a 24/7 service as they
follow certain shift patterns, meaning they are available to assist with body collections
and ensuring evidence remains intact at any time. A weakness is their cost. Their
average salary is very high, 78,000, due to their expertise, training and necessity. This is
a weakness as they are a very expensive part of criminal investigations, meaning the
government can’t afford a lot of them, reducing their availability, meaning there won't be
enough pathologists to always investigate the body, making the investigation take
longer. Another weakness is human error can occur due to the attention to detail that is
needed meaning there is a good possibility that evidence may be interpreted incorrectly,
leading to a miscarriage of justice. An example of this is the case study of Anthony
Hardy. Dr Patel said a victim died of natural causes during intercourse, even though
there was blood staining on her clothing and the condition and context of the body said
a different story. This misinterpretation and inadequate consideration of possible
causes of death and failure to consider key evidence led to no investigation into
Anthony to occur.
1.2
Forensic techniques:
Forensic techniques include lots of specialist types of forensics, including digital, DNA,
fingerprints, and trace evidence. Most of these techniques involve evidence being
brought in from the crime scene to the lab for further forensic analysis. One specific
type is DNA analysis, which helps to link suspects to crime scenes and because DNA is
unique to every person, it is a useful identification tool for investigations. Types of crime
forensics can be useful in is sexual assault cases, in the situation where semen is left
on the scene, which is crucial when identifying suspects. Forensics are also useful in
solving cold cases where DNA has been stored but never identified, so advances in
technology can lead to new leads. A strength is it is objective, meaning it is perfectly
accurate because it makes sure that everyone involved in the investigation such as
victims, are treated without bias. This is a strength because it minimises the chance
that decisions are based on hearsay evidence and increases the likelihood they are
based on evidence. Another strength is DNA is scientific meaning it is highly accurate
and has an incredibly low chance of two individuals having the same DNA profile. This is
a strength because it makes it an accurate tool for identifying individuals from crime
scenes, with a low chance of misidentification. A weakness is there is a risk of human
error meaning samples could get mixed up or cross contamination could occur in the
lab. This is a weakness because it could lead to misidentification or false matches,
1.1
Police:
The first personnel involved in criminal investigations is police officers. They are trained
professionals whose job is to reduce, solve and tackle crime. They are usually the first to
arrive at crime scenes where they secure the scene, arrest suspects if they are at the
scene and take statements from witnesses and victims. Police detectives work in
specialist departments, involving serious crime. A strength of police officers is their
availability. Officers run on a 24-hour basis, working weekends and bank holidays, there
are also approximately 142,000 police officers in the UK. This is a strength as they are
constantly available, so they can secure scenes as quickly as possible to conserve
possible evidence. Having lots of police officers means there is enough police to reach
crime scenes in any area, which aids the “golden hour” as they can get there quick.
However, a limitation of the police could be their expertise. Although they receive
training, you do not need any specific qualifications to be an average police officer,
meaning a lack of training and qualification could lead to errors such as evidence
contamination. Another strength of the police is their cost. The average salary of a
police officer is around 30,000 a year, which is a low cost compared to other roles in
criminal investigations. This ensures reliable availability of officers, as the government
can afford their constant recruitment. This is a strength because it means there will
always be enough officers to respond to a crime scene at any time. Another weakness
of police officers is institutional racism, which is shown through the case of Stephen
Lawrence, who was brutally murdered in a hate crime. The police did not recognise his
case as a hate crime due to the racism of the police by assuming it was an inter-gang
murder because of his race. They also did not pursue suspects due to corruption in the
police force, which was shown in the McPherson report 1999. The relevance of this is it
shows that justice is not always served from police officers, due to racial bias and
institutional racism clouding their judgement and not pursuing correct leads.
Crime scene investigators have a significant role in criminal investigations. They are not
police officers, but they are still available 24/7 and have specialist training. Their role is
to collect and process evidence from a crime scene, by photographing and packaging
evidence. They also may give evidence in court. A strength is their availability, there are
4000 CSI in the UK, who work on a 24/7 basis, meaning they are available all day so they
can get to crime scenes as soon as possible instead of waiting until the morning, by
which the evidence may have been contaminated. Another strength is their expertise,
they are trained and qualified in collecting evidence by using a wide range of equipment,
as they require on the job experience, which will benefit the investigation. This is
,because they have the correct and required knowledge and skills to carry out
investigating the scene correctly. On the other hand, CSI have a few limitations such as
their cost, their salary is around 16,000 which is very low especially when the work
might be very emotionally traumatic, leading to burn out and staff leaving. This is a
weakness because the UK may have a shortage of CSI, meaning they won't be available
to reach crime scenes at any time, making the investigation take longer. Another
limitation is the risk of the CSI contaminating themselves with dangerous or toxic
substances or even contaminating the crime scene. An example of this is the case of
Amanda Knox, who was convicted of the murder of Meredith Kercher, even before all the
physical evidence had been collected from the scene. Her DNA was found on the
murder weapon but was later found to be present due to contamination. During the
case, DNA procedures were not followed, for example Kerchers bra clasp was collected
so late that contamination was extremely likely.
Another personnel involved with criminal investigations is forensic scientists. Their job
is to analyse and review evidence that has been collected from crime scenes. Instead of
working at the crime scene, they work in laboratories, to extract DNA, fingerprints,
textile fibres and body fluids from evidence. A strength of forensic scientists is their
expertise, forensic scientists are highly trained to a degree level, some the extra work
experience. This is a strength because expertise is vital to criminal investigations,
especially with cold or complex cases and getting hard ground evidence of someone’s
innocence or guilt. Another strength is their availability as they work shift patterns
meaning they are constantly available on a 24/7 basis. This is a strength because they
can analyse and extract scientific evidence quickly and at any time, which quickens the
process of criminal investigations. A limitation is their cost, as budgets for forensic
scientists have been cut 50% since 2008 and now 80% of forensic investigations are
carried out in police labs to save money. This is a limitation because it leaves chance for
miscarriage of justice because police labs don’t go through the same accreditation
process, meaning they may not be as good quality. Another limitation is contamination
might occur when evidence is examined by scientists, which is shown in the case of
Adam Scott, who was charged of rape in 2011. During this case, DNA samples were
taken from the victim's genitals, which matched Adam’s sample. Later in the
investigation, it was revealed that the lab had handled Scotts DNA sample after a
spitting incident in Exeter. Contamination occurred as the same plate used to analyse
Scotts sample was used in the rape case, which resulted in his wrongful arrest, showing
how contamination of evidence is a weakness as it can lead to miscarriages of justice.
Another personnel involved is forensic pathologists. Their role is to study what the
cause of death was and identify if there was any foul play. They also help advice the
police on how to move out a body, in a way that will preserve the evidence. They can be
called as an expert witness at court to present evidence they have found from
examining the body. A strength of forensic pathologists is their expertise. They are highly
, trained as the job requires medical school and 4 years of specialist training to become a
pathologist. This is a strength because they are qualified in investigating causes of
death by analysing organs and body tissues, which expertise is vital in solving cases and
finding clues. Another strength is their availability. They offer a 24/7 service as they
follow certain shift patterns, meaning they are available to assist with body collections
and ensuring evidence remains intact at any time. A weakness is their cost. Their
average salary is very high, 78,000, due to their expertise, training and necessity. This is
a weakness as they are a very expensive part of criminal investigations, meaning the
government can’t afford a lot of them, reducing their availability, meaning there won't be
enough pathologists to always investigate the body, making the investigation take
longer. Another weakness is human error can occur due to the attention to detail that is
needed meaning there is a good possibility that evidence may be interpreted incorrectly,
leading to a miscarriage of justice. An example of this is the case study of Anthony
Hardy. Dr Patel said a victim died of natural causes during intercourse, even though
there was blood staining on her clothing and the condition and context of the body said
a different story. This misinterpretation and inadequate consideration of possible
causes of death and failure to consider key evidence led to no investigation into
Anthony to occur.
1.2
Forensic techniques:
Forensic techniques include lots of specialist types of forensics, including digital, DNA,
fingerprints, and trace evidence. Most of these techniques involve evidence being
brought in from the crime scene to the lab for further forensic analysis. One specific
type is DNA analysis, which helps to link suspects to crime scenes and because DNA is
unique to every person, it is a useful identification tool for investigations. Types of crime
forensics can be useful in is sexual assault cases, in the situation where semen is left
on the scene, which is crucial when identifying suspects. Forensics are also useful in
solving cold cases where DNA has been stored but never identified, so advances in
technology can lead to new leads. A strength is it is objective, meaning it is perfectly
accurate because it makes sure that everyone involved in the investigation such as
victims, are treated without bias. This is a strength because it minimises the chance
that decisions are based on hearsay evidence and increases the likelihood they are
based on evidence. Another strength is DNA is scientific meaning it is highly accurate
and has an incredibly low chance of two individuals having the same DNA profile. This is
a strength because it makes it an accurate tool for identifying individuals from crime
scenes, with a low chance of misidentification. A weakness is there is a risk of human
error meaning samples could get mixed up or cross contamination could occur in the
lab. This is a weakness because it could lead to misidentification or false matches,
