Unit 9C Soil, pollen and diatoms:
What needs to be considered when sampling evidence?
There are multiple factors that need to be taken into consideration when collecting the
evidence at the scene to ensure that it all has integrity and is admissible in court.
Contamination:
There are methods that SOCOs must follow in order to avoid any contamination of the
evidence Any personnel who are going to enter the crime scene must be wearing all
necessary PPE (personal protective equipment), especially if they are going to be
handling any evidence; this should only be done, when necessary, as the more
contact with the evidence, the more likely it is to be contaminated. This can include a
mask, gloves, a hair cover, a suit, and overshoes. Wearing this at the crime scene is
very important as well as in the laboratory afterwards when analysing the evidence.
When the personnel enter specific areas of the crime scene, it is crucial that this is
documented, so as we can be aware of any potential contamination that had
occurred, this is to eliminate the experts as suspects and to know what evidence can
be used in court. All evidence is to be packaged in separate bags/containers, to
prevent the evidence from contaminating each other. When the evidence is being
collected, the personnel must make sure that all of their equipment is sterilised, to not
contaminate that piece of evidence.
This is all done so as the evidence is still admissible in court, and the integrity of the
evidence is maintained. If it is found out that one of the items was collected without
these precautions, the court will not be able to use that piece of evidence, and this
can backtrack the investigation by a mile depending on the evidence. Not preventing
contamination at the scene, like not wearing the necessary PPE, could also lead to the
personnel getting ill or injured from biohazards or chemicals in the area. If
contamination isn’t considered, evidence may be packaged together or in the wrong
containers, which could lead to rotting of the evidence, or it could become distorted.
As well as this, evidence could be put in the incorrect environment when being
transported, for example biological evidence must be packaged in a cooler to keep it
from degrading, and this could then also become a health hazard.
Documentation and recording:
Whilst the investigation of the crime scene is taking place, everything that is
happening in the area is documented using lots of methods. Most commonly used are
crime scene notes, sketches, photographs and more recently videos can be taken of
the scene as well as tape recordings of your notes. You can use any of these methods
to document your evidence, but for any of these it is imperative that you have the
notes written in detail, discussing, or showing the whole scene, where and what every
piece of evidence is, and who had collected and packaged it, and who had transported
it to the crime lab.
Photographs of the scene and the area around the scene are very important to take
before anything is altered around the crime scene, as well as photos of every piece of
evidence. If there is a body at the scene a photograph needs to be taken at different
angles before it is moved, as well as photos of any injured parties at the scene. There
needs to be a means of measurement at the scene as well, so as we can see the sizes
of the evidence, and a marker with the reference number of the evidence.
,In order to take good notes at the crime scene you need to ensure that no opinions
are written, only the facts that you can see and observe, as well as this you need to
accurately write a detailed description of what each item of evidence is. There are a
number of steps you need to take to make a good quality video. Firstly, for the
introduction you need to include the date, time, where it is, and what type of crime
scene it is, done by an investigator. As well as this, you should include a description of
the rooms and the evidence there that is shown on the video. After this, you will want
to record an overview of the crime scene, doing close ups at the evidence and
showing the layout of the area, all using slow movements. When drawing a sketch of
the crime scene, you will want to note the location, the date at the crime scene as
well as making the sketch, and who drew it. You should make a key, so everything is
accurately sized, also adding a north line, so they know what direction it is facing. To
begin with your sketch can be rough, so long as it is accurate on the locations of the
evidence, as you will have time afterwards to redraw it to look better. In more recent
times, programs have been made so as you can generate clear drawings which may
be preferred.
This is done so as the evidence is all documented, making sure none can be forgotten
or tampered with without anyone noticing. As well as this, if the evidence is damaged,
they will still have a photograph of said evidence, so it isn’t ruined completely if it is a
very important item.
Continuity of evidence:
It Is required that you document who was in possession of the evidence at all times.
This includes who found it, who had transported it and stored it, and everyone in
between. To do this, you can write your signature on the packaging, where there will
be a table to fill in for each person who collects it. As well as this, there will be a
separate documentation of this at all times as well.
This needs to be done so as the court can see that there was no time where the
evidence was unattended to, so there was no opportunity for tampering to occur. So,
it is done to maintain the integrity of the evidence.
Benefits of this is that we can ensure that the evidence has been in an authorised
person’s possession at all times, giving it integrity to use in court. As well as this,
having everyone’s name down who had been in possession of it is good as they can
testify if necessary. If this is not done at all stages of the investigation, then the
evidence cannot be used in court, as it could have potentially been tampered with.
Chain of evidence:
The chain of evidence is done to show where the evidence has been at all times. This
includes where at the crime scene, on the way to storage and where it has been
stored. On the packaging you also write the location it is at as well as your signature.
This is also done to ensure that there wasn’t a time where we didn’t know where the
evidence was located at, which would be a potential time to tamper or damage it,
which would make it unusable at court.
, This is good as we can verify that there was definitely no time at which the evidence
could have been tampered with, so the integrity of evidence remains. This is also
good as it can show that it has always been properly stored, enabling accurate
analysis. A problem from not doing this is that we cannot know for sure that the
evidence has been secure at all times, and if there is a period of time where the
evidence cannot be accounted for, it can completely discredit the integrity of the
evidence, so it can’t be used in the case.
Transportation and storage:
In order to prevent the chance of contamination, you need to package each piece of
evidence separately. When transporting it, the evidence should be somewhere safe
and secure, for example a locked trunk or container in order to stop it from being lost
or stolen. If the evidence is sensitive, you may want to store it in a temperature-
controlled place. Make sure to write who is transporting on a document for continuity
of evidence and go directly to the lab. Also, document where the evidence is being
stored for the chain of evidence. For example, water would be best stored in a fridge,
and pollen in a freezer, though this can change depending on the type of pollen
collected. Soil can just be stored in a trunk, however if this soil sample contains any
biological samples, then it is better to keep it in a cooler area in order to reduce the
rate of biological decay.
Each piece of evidence needs to be stored and transported safely so as the items
remain uncontaminated and don’t get lost or damaged to ensure that they are
admissible in court.
Benefits of transporting and storing all of the evidence correctly, is that the evidence
can be safely preserved for later analysis, and this will also drastically decrease the
chances of any hazards being present. The chain of evidence will be maintained. This
would be bad if this step is neglected to be carried out properly, as the integrity of the
evidence is gone, as well as the evidence being potentially contaminated, damaged,
or lost. If the evidence isn’t transported and stored correctly, then the evidence could
be degraded, like biological evidence not being stored in a cooler at the right
temperature and environment, the evidence could then become a hazard. Also, the
chain of evidence is then ruined, which could mean that the value of all this evidence
is lost in court, and the evidence cannot be used to help in the investigation further.
Sampling and analysis techniques for soil:
There are multiple techniques that can be carried out in order to analyse the soil to
get the necessary evidence to aid in criminal investigation. A main technique is called
soil profiling, and this relies on the unique characteristics in soil including its sediment,
colour and structure. The sediment of the soil refers to the initial solid particles that
have gradually be eroded and moved. Due to any type of contact, which can be
physical or even chemical, the sediments are created as a result of these.
The colour can show analysts what has happened to the soil over time as well as any
types of compounds in the soil. If the soil is a grey or white colour, when this could
suggest that there is lime present or there has been a chemical reaction from liquids
travelling through the soil. Another example is if the soil is a red to brown colour, then
this should that the soil is abundant with iron.
What needs to be considered when sampling evidence?
There are multiple factors that need to be taken into consideration when collecting the
evidence at the scene to ensure that it all has integrity and is admissible in court.
Contamination:
There are methods that SOCOs must follow in order to avoid any contamination of the
evidence Any personnel who are going to enter the crime scene must be wearing all
necessary PPE (personal protective equipment), especially if they are going to be
handling any evidence; this should only be done, when necessary, as the more
contact with the evidence, the more likely it is to be contaminated. This can include a
mask, gloves, a hair cover, a suit, and overshoes. Wearing this at the crime scene is
very important as well as in the laboratory afterwards when analysing the evidence.
When the personnel enter specific areas of the crime scene, it is crucial that this is
documented, so as we can be aware of any potential contamination that had
occurred, this is to eliminate the experts as suspects and to know what evidence can
be used in court. All evidence is to be packaged in separate bags/containers, to
prevent the evidence from contaminating each other. When the evidence is being
collected, the personnel must make sure that all of their equipment is sterilised, to not
contaminate that piece of evidence.
This is all done so as the evidence is still admissible in court, and the integrity of the
evidence is maintained. If it is found out that one of the items was collected without
these precautions, the court will not be able to use that piece of evidence, and this
can backtrack the investigation by a mile depending on the evidence. Not preventing
contamination at the scene, like not wearing the necessary PPE, could also lead to the
personnel getting ill or injured from biohazards or chemicals in the area. If
contamination isn’t considered, evidence may be packaged together or in the wrong
containers, which could lead to rotting of the evidence, or it could become distorted.
As well as this, evidence could be put in the incorrect environment when being
transported, for example biological evidence must be packaged in a cooler to keep it
from degrading, and this could then also become a health hazard.
Documentation and recording:
Whilst the investigation of the crime scene is taking place, everything that is
happening in the area is documented using lots of methods. Most commonly used are
crime scene notes, sketches, photographs and more recently videos can be taken of
the scene as well as tape recordings of your notes. You can use any of these methods
to document your evidence, but for any of these it is imperative that you have the
notes written in detail, discussing, or showing the whole scene, where and what every
piece of evidence is, and who had collected and packaged it, and who had transported
it to the crime lab.
Photographs of the scene and the area around the scene are very important to take
before anything is altered around the crime scene, as well as photos of every piece of
evidence. If there is a body at the scene a photograph needs to be taken at different
angles before it is moved, as well as photos of any injured parties at the scene. There
needs to be a means of measurement at the scene as well, so as we can see the sizes
of the evidence, and a marker with the reference number of the evidence.
,In order to take good notes at the crime scene you need to ensure that no opinions
are written, only the facts that you can see and observe, as well as this you need to
accurately write a detailed description of what each item of evidence is. There are a
number of steps you need to take to make a good quality video. Firstly, for the
introduction you need to include the date, time, where it is, and what type of crime
scene it is, done by an investigator. As well as this, you should include a description of
the rooms and the evidence there that is shown on the video. After this, you will want
to record an overview of the crime scene, doing close ups at the evidence and
showing the layout of the area, all using slow movements. When drawing a sketch of
the crime scene, you will want to note the location, the date at the crime scene as
well as making the sketch, and who drew it. You should make a key, so everything is
accurately sized, also adding a north line, so they know what direction it is facing. To
begin with your sketch can be rough, so long as it is accurate on the locations of the
evidence, as you will have time afterwards to redraw it to look better. In more recent
times, programs have been made so as you can generate clear drawings which may
be preferred.
This is done so as the evidence is all documented, making sure none can be forgotten
or tampered with without anyone noticing. As well as this, if the evidence is damaged,
they will still have a photograph of said evidence, so it isn’t ruined completely if it is a
very important item.
Continuity of evidence:
It Is required that you document who was in possession of the evidence at all times.
This includes who found it, who had transported it and stored it, and everyone in
between. To do this, you can write your signature on the packaging, where there will
be a table to fill in for each person who collects it. As well as this, there will be a
separate documentation of this at all times as well.
This needs to be done so as the court can see that there was no time where the
evidence was unattended to, so there was no opportunity for tampering to occur. So,
it is done to maintain the integrity of the evidence.
Benefits of this is that we can ensure that the evidence has been in an authorised
person’s possession at all times, giving it integrity to use in court. As well as this,
having everyone’s name down who had been in possession of it is good as they can
testify if necessary. If this is not done at all stages of the investigation, then the
evidence cannot be used in court, as it could have potentially been tampered with.
Chain of evidence:
The chain of evidence is done to show where the evidence has been at all times. This
includes where at the crime scene, on the way to storage and where it has been
stored. On the packaging you also write the location it is at as well as your signature.
This is also done to ensure that there wasn’t a time where we didn’t know where the
evidence was located at, which would be a potential time to tamper or damage it,
which would make it unusable at court.
, This is good as we can verify that there was definitely no time at which the evidence
could have been tampered with, so the integrity of evidence remains. This is also
good as it can show that it has always been properly stored, enabling accurate
analysis. A problem from not doing this is that we cannot know for sure that the
evidence has been secure at all times, and if there is a period of time where the
evidence cannot be accounted for, it can completely discredit the integrity of the
evidence, so it can’t be used in the case.
Transportation and storage:
In order to prevent the chance of contamination, you need to package each piece of
evidence separately. When transporting it, the evidence should be somewhere safe
and secure, for example a locked trunk or container in order to stop it from being lost
or stolen. If the evidence is sensitive, you may want to store it in a temperature-
controlled place. Make sure to write who is transporting on a document for continuity
of evidence and go directly to the lab. Also, document where the evidence is being
stored for the chain of evidence. For example, water would be best stored in a fridge,
and pollen in a freezer, though this can change depending on the type of pollen
collected. Soil can just be stored in a trunk, however if this soil sample contains any
biological samples, then it is better to keep it in a cooler area in order to reduce the
rate of biological decay.
Each piece of evidence needs to be stored and transported safely so as the items
remain uncontaminated and don’t get lost or damaged to ensure that they are
admissible in court.
Benefits of transporting and storing all of the evidence correctly, is that the evidence
can be safely preserved for later analysis, and this will also drastically decrease the
chances of any hazards being present. The chain of evidence will be maintained. This
would be bad if this step is neglected to be carried out properly, as the integrity of the
evidence is gone, as well as the evidence being potentially contaminated, damaged,
or lost. If the evidence isn’t transported and stored correctly, then the evidence could
be degraded, like biological evidence not being stored in a cooler at the right
temperature and environment, the evidence could then become a hazard. Also, the
chain of evidence is then ruined, which could mean that the value of all this evidence
is lost in court, and the evidence cannot be used to help in the investigation further.
Sampling and analysis techniques for soil:
There are multiple techniques that can be carried out in order to analyse the soil to
get the necessary evidence to aid in criminal investigation. A main technique is called
soil profiling, and this relies on the unique characteristics in soil including its sediment,
colour and structure. The sediment of the soil refers to the initial solid particles that
have gradually be eroded and moved. Due to any type of contact, which can be
physical or even chemical, the sediments are created as a result of these.
The colour can show analysts what has happened to the soil over time as well as any
types of compounds in the soil. If the soil is a grey or white colour, when this could
suggest that there is lime present or there has been a chemical reaction from liquids
travelling through the soil. Another example is if the soil is a red to brown colour, then
this should that the soil is abundant with iron.
