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mlllllllllllkjmACT FILE 1 – crime scene investigators/ scenes of crime officers.
Description of role: they are usually civilians rather than police officers and undergo specialist
training and may have a science degree. The largest forces employ dozens of CSI personnel who
are on call 24/7. Their roles are to collect evidence from crime scenes as well as post mortems and
accidents. A key responsibility of theirs is to preserve evidence in an uncontaminated condition,
since contamination means that the evidence will be inadmissible in a court. key roles for a crime
scene investigator include:
● Taking charge of the crime scene, liaising with police officers to find out what evidence is
required from the scene and deciding how best to obtain it.
● Photographing crime scenes.
● Recovering physical or biological evidence from the
crime scene.
● Packing, storing and documenting material recovered
from the scene.
● Attending post mortem examinations of suspicious
deaths.
● Advising police investigators on the physical evidence,photography and samples for
laboratory analysis.
● Giving evidence in court.
Strengths of role:
● csi’s may gather evidence that conclusively links suspects to crime scenes and victims.
● The evidence may also prove conclusively that a suspect is in fact innocent, for example
when evidence does not match those found by the csi at the crime scene.
● they operate on an on call system which means that they are therefore always available to
assist in criminal investigations.
Weakness of role:
● contamination could occur but this is usually minimised by SOCO’s as they are trained and
qualified in this area.
● Their work requires specialist skill e.g photography, as well as patience, meticulous care
and attention to detail. failure to record and collect evidence correctly can
lead to a guilty person going free and vice versa.
● SOCO’s may be exposed to hazardous substances in the course of their role
such as contaminants touching skin or airborne substances in the mouth
mlllllllllllkjmACT FILE 1 – crime scene investigators/ scenes of crime officers.
Description of role: they are usually civilians rather than police officers and undergo specialist
training and may have a science degree. The largest forces employ dozens of CSI personnel who
are on call 24/7. Their roles are to collect evidence from crime scenes as well as post mortems and
accidents. A key responsibility of theirs is to preserve evidence in an uncontaminated condition,
since contamination means that the evidence will be inadmissible in a court. key roles for a crime
scene investigator include:
● Taking charge of the crime scene, liaising with police officers to find out what evidence is
required from the scene and deciding how best to obtain it.
● Photographing crime scenes.
● Recovering physical or biological evidence from the
crime scene.
● Packing, storing and documenting material recovered
from the scene.
● Attending post mortem examinations of suspicious
deaths.
● Advising police investigators on the physical evidence,photography and samples for
laboratory analysis.
● Giving evidence in court.
Strengths of role:
● csi’s may gather evidence that conclusively links suspects to crime scenes and victims.
● The evidence may also prove conclusively that a suspect is in fact innocent, for example
when evidence does not match those found by the csi at the crime scene.
● they operate on an on call system which means that they are therefore always available to
assist in criminal investigations.
Weakness of role:
● contamination could occur but this is usually minimised by SOCO’s as they are trained and
qualified in this area.
● Their work requires specialist skill e.g photography, as well as patience, meticulous care
and attention to detail. failure to record and collect evidence correctly can
lead to a guilty person going free and vice versa.
● SOCO’s may be exposed to hazardous substances in the course of their role
such as contaminants touching skin or airborne substances in the mouth
