Criminology Task 2
Surveillance
CCTV is now an important part of criminal investigations and is the first thing police ask for
when investigating a crime. CCTV, such as cameras on the streets and inside public
buildings, is an important part of everyday life. As a result, CCTV can be used to prove both
someone's guilt and innocence.
Because of the widespread nature and availability of CCTV, it is an effective deterrent to
crime, with the added benefit of being able to view recordings from anywhere. Because this
is widely known, many people see it as a deterrent to crime, knowing that they will be found
and that this will be used against them later. Many CCTV cameras record continuous
footage, particularly in shops and on busy streets, allowing you to see where people are
always moving. This can be useful when tracking down a suspect or finding them at the
scene of a crime for evidence in court. Furthermore, it is especially beneficial for criminals
who do not fit the stereotype of a typical offender, such as posh shoplifters or female drug
dealers.
The system is simple to use and does not require the use of specialists to run, which means
that guards on shop doors are not needed, saving money. All footage is also date and time
stamped, which means that a specific piece of footage can be easily found in court for
confirming or refuting information given by a witness or defendant, or in alibis. Cameras and
footage can also zoom in without losing quality, allowing for a clearer image in court. The
general positioning of cameras and CCTV makes them especially useful; because the
cameras are high up, they can see things that people on the ground may miss, which helps
in catching criminals in busy areas. As a result, CCTV and surveillance are most useful in
shopping, theft, and crimes that occur in congested areas.
The United Kingdom has the most CCTV cameras in the world, which increases the
likelihood of catching criminals. CCTV was especially helpful in the cases of the London Riots
and the James Bulger case. In the case of the 2011 London riots, recordings of the crimes
and photos of offenders were widely circulated in the media, allowing locals to assist police
in identifying and prosecuting offenders. CCTV was used to track the movements of the child
being led out of the shopping centre and eventually to the location where he was murdered
in the case of James Bulger.
However, the use of surveillance has been heavily criticised, with it finding the wrong
person nine out of ten times. Furthermore, some people believe it is unethical because
people are treated as walking ID cards rather than everyday people, and many believe it
treats everyone as a criminal. Many stores and businesses initially believed that introducing
surveillance into society would frighten people away, which is true to some extent because
many people disagree with it on ethical grounds.
, Furthermore, there are numerous issues with the actual technology. For example, some
images are blurry and there is no sound, making it impossible for police to hear what is
being said, which could be crucial in a case.
Covert human intelligence sources are another type of surveillance used by police. They use
information provided by a source to establish or maintain person or other relationships for
the covert purpose of gaining access to information. Typically, this entails the use of
informants or undercover officers.
However, due to the personal and invasive nature of the source, this method should be
used with caution because it may be considered inadmissible by a judge. In the case of Colin
Stagg, an undercover policewoman named Lizzie began communicating with Stagg through
letters in order to obtain a confession for the murder of Rachel Nickell. Despite Stagg's
denials, information gathered from the letters was presented in court but was ruled
inadmissible, and the evidence was thrown out, with the judge describing it as 'deceitful'
and trying to elicit a confession. Similarly, in the scenario, Yasmin tries to use CCTV
(surveillance) to help plead her innocence. Her evidence was CCTV footage of her boyfriend
getting into a fight outside a club, which she says is the reason for his significant injuries and
broken bones.
This is elevated risk due to the officer often being involved in criminal activity and may be
forced to commit crime themselves, in which case they are no better than the offender.
Being involved in such a dangerous world may have repercussions and be extremely
dangerous if the offenders they are following become aware of what is going on, in which
case the officer will have to be placed in life-long protection and aftercare, which is
expensive. On the other hand, the officer may 'go native' and become a member of the
group or person under investigation, in which case the information won't be reliable in
court. Furthermore, with certain groups, such as drug rings, gaining access and trust of the
people around them may be more difficult, extending the experience and costing more
money.
CHIS, on the other hand, is a particularly useful method for obtaining information that police
would not otherwise be able to obtain, and in cases where there is a significant threat, the
informant may be able to tip-off the police to something that will happen or a location for
an arrest using their insider knowledge. This is especially true for crimes like fraud, where
the crime is not always obvious, gang crime, drugs, and terrorism, making it a valuable
resource.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an abbreviation for Deoxyribonucleic acid, which an
individual inherits half of from their father and half from their mother. Samples such as
sperm, saliva, and blood are used to create DNA profiles. To aid with criminal investigations,
police have intelligence databases that supply information on a specific topic that may be
relevant to their criminal investigation.
Surveillance
CCTV is now an important part of criminal investigations and is the first thing police ask for
when investigating a crime. CCTV, such as cameras on the streets and inside public
buildings, is an important part of everyday life. As a result, CCTV can be used to prove both
someone's guilt and innocence.
Because of the widespread nature and availability of CCTV, it is an effective deterrent to
crime, with the added benefit of being able to view recordings from anywhere. Because this
is widely known, many people see it as a deterrent to crime, knowing that they will be found
and that this will be used against them later. Many CCTV cameras record continuous
footage, particularly in shops and on busy streets, allowing you to see where people are
always moving. This can be useful when tracking down a suspect or finding them at the
scene of a crime for evidence in court. Furthermore, it is especially beneficial for criminals
who do not fit the stereotype of a typical offender, such as posh shoplifters or female drug
dealers.
The system is simple to use and does not require the use of specialists to run, which means
that guards on shop doors are not needed, saving money. All footage is also date and time
stamped, which means that a specific piece of footage can be easily found in court for
confirming or refuting information given by a witness or defendant, or in alibis. Cameras and
footage can also zoom in without losing quality, allowing for a clearer image in court. The
general positioning of cameras and CCTV makes them especially useful; because the
cameras are high up, they can see things that people on the ground may miss, which helps
in catching criminals in busy areas. As a result, CCTV and surveillance are most useful in
shopping, theft, and crimes that occur in congested areas.
The United Kingdom has the most CCTV cameras in the world, which increases the
likelihood of catching criminals. CCTV was especially helpful in the cases of the London Riots
and the James Bulger case. In the case of the 2011 London riots, recordings of the crimes
and photos of offenders were widely circulated in the media, allowing locals to assist police
in identifying and prosecuting offenders. CCTV was used to track the movements of the child
being led out of the shopping centre and eventually to the location where he was murdered
in the case of James Bulger.
However, the use of surveillance has been heavily criticised, with it finding the wrong
person nine out of ten times. Furthermore, some people believe it is unethical because
people are treated as walking ID cards rather than everyday people, and many believe it
treats everyone as a criminal. Many stores and businesses initially believed that introducing
surveillance into society would frighten people away, which is true to some extent because
many people disagree with it on ethical grounds.
, Furthermore, there are numerous issues with the actual technology. For example, some
images are blurry and there is no sound, making it impossible for police to hear what is
being said, which could be crucial in a case.
Covert human intelligence sources are another type of surveillance used by police. They use
information provided by a source to establish or maintain person or other relationships for
the covert purpose of gaining access to information. Typically, this entails the use of
informants or undercover officers.
However, due to the personal and invasive nature of the source, this method should be
used with caution because it may be considered inadmissible by a judge. In the case of Colin
Stagg, an undercover policewoman named Lizzie began communicating with Stagg through
letters in order to obtain a confession for the murder of Rachel Nickell. Despite Stagg's
denials, information gathered from the letters was presented in court but was ruled
inadmissible, and the evidence was thrown out, with the judge describing it as 'deceitful'
and trying to elicit a confession. Similarly, in the scenario, Yasmin tries to use CCTV
(surveillance) to help plead her innocence. Her evidence was CCTV footage of her boyfriend
getting into a fight outside a club, which she says is the reason for his significant injuries and
broken bones.
This is elevated risk due to the officer often being involved in criminal activity and may be
forced to commit crime themselves, in which case they are no better than the offender.
Being involved in such a dangerous world may have repercussions and be extremely
dangerous if the offenders they are following become aware of what is going on, in which
case the officer will have to be placed in life-long protection and aftercare, which is
expensive. On the other hand, the officer may 'go native' and become a member of the
group or person under investigation, in which case the information won't be reliable in
court. Furthermore, with certain groups, such as drug rings, gaining access and trust of the
people around them may be more difficult, extending the experience and costing more
money.
CHIS, on the other hand, is a particularly useful method for obtaining information that police
would not otherwise be able to obtain, and in cases where there is a significant threat, the
informant may be able to tip-off the police to something that will happen or a location for
an arrest using their insider knowledge. This is especially true for crimes like fraud, where
the crime is not always obvious, gang crime, drugs, and terrorism, making it a valuable
resource.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an abbreviation for Deoxyribonucleic acid, which an
individual inherits half of from their father and half from their mother. Samples such as
sperm, saliva, and blood are used to create DNA profiles. To aid with criminal investigations,
police have intelligence databases that supply information on a specific topic that may be
relevant to their criminal investigation.
