Ac 1.1 Criminology Personal Notes
Unit: Crime Scene to Courtroom Date: Name:
Topic: 1.1 Personnel
- Crime scene investigators
- Forensic specialists/scientists
- Police officers/detectives
- Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
- Pathologist
- Other investigative agencies, e.g. Serious
and Organised Crime Agency, HM
Revenue & Customs
Notes made during the lesson (in your own words)
Various personnel are involved in criminal investigations, these include police officers, crime
scene investigators (SOCO’s), the crown prosecution service (CPS), pathologists, forensic
scientists and others.
POLICE OFFICERS/DETECTIVES
Police officers and detectives are usually the first personnel to arrive at a crime scene. Their first
role is to ensure the wellbeing of any civilians involved, this is done by calling ambulances,
giving first aid and clearing the area of the general public. If there are any suspects still at the
scene they will also be arrested immediately. Police officers then must ensure that any
evidence is not tampered with, contaminated or moved until the CSI comes to gather it. As well
as this officers will take statements from victims and witnesses as quickly as possible so no
crucial elements are forgotten
+ One advantage of police officers - is that they are always available. This is because they
work on an on-call basis meaning that they can be accessed 24/7. This is highly
beneficial as it ensures that the ‘golden hour’ is taken advantage of, if suspects are still at
the scene when officers arrive it will save time trying to identify and locate them at a later
date. As well as this it ensures that statements are taken from victims and witnesses
while the incident is still fresh in their minds, if police were not available vital information
could be forgotten. Finally, if anyone at the crime scene is severely injured and need
immediate attention, police officers need to be there in minutes to call ambulances and
give first aid, otherwise people might lose their lives.
+ Another advantage of police officers - is that they have had training. All officers must
undergo 3 years of training to become a part of the force and further training to become
a police detective. This means that they have specialist knowledge on how to correctly
deal with a crime scene and what to do in certain situations to keep civilians safe. As well
as this, officers can train and specialise in different areas for example, anti-terrorism and
road policing. Therefore, making the beginning of the investigation highly effective
+ Finally police officers and detectives costs are covered, as they are paid a yearly salary
, - One disadvantage of police officers - is that they may not secure the crime scene
effectively. This means that evidence may become contaminated and will not be
plausible to use in court. It's very possible for this to happen, due to the demanding
nature of police officers jobs if very close attention is not paid human error can occur.
Therefore greatly hindering the case in court as other evidence will have to be collected
which can take a long time.
- Another disadvantage of police officers - is that personal biases may occur. This means
that some police officers may not decide to investigate certain incidents like domestic
abuse or hate crimes, due to their personal opinions and authority to do so. Another bias
that could affect the effectiveness of police officers is institutional racism. Which can
affect crime scene procedures, as discriminatory attitudes have been found amongst the
police force. An example of this is Stephen Lawrence, who was killed during a racially
motivated attack. Police officers who were called to the scene failed to recognise this
incident as racially motivated as well as failing to investigate suspects, resulting in an
injustice. This is highly ineffective as the bias and racism of several police officers means
that some crimes are not investigated properly and evidence is overlooked.
CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS
Crime Scene Investigators (CSI’s) role is to collect and preserve evidence from crime scenes.
One of their main responsibilities is to ensure that all evidence at the scene remains
uncontaminated otherwise it would be inadmissible in court. CSI’s also work closely with police
at the scene to decide what evidence is “vital” and how they wish to collect it as well as
photographing the scene to capture any important details (items, tyre marks, shoe prints,
people, victims, weapons). Once all of the evidence is gathered CSI must pack, store and
document all material taken from the crime scene to then be sent onto forensic specialists.
Occasionally they also attend post mortem examinations of unusual deaths.
+ One advantage of crime scene investigators - is that they are experts at their professions .
This is because like most other personnel CSI must have thorough training, in addition
many also have a degree in a science related field and are highly knowledgeable with
this type of work. Therefore implying that they are able to carry out their role in criminal
investigations effectively due to the large amounts of learning and effort that is put in
before becoming a CSI. As a result CSI’s have the ability to gather evidence that can
assuredly link a suspect to a crime scene or victim, enabling the perpetrator to be caught
and potentially put into prison.
+ Another advantage of crime scene investigators - is that they work on an on-call basis.
This means that they can be called to a crime scene at any hour, which is highly
important due to crimes taking place at all times of day. If this was not the case police
officers would have to wait until they were available which makes the likelihood of
evidence contamination much higher, as factors such as weather can destroy or change
vital details left at the incident. Therefore as they are always available, evidence found by
CSI should be uncontaminated and sufficient to use in court to prove a suspect innocent
or guilty.
+ Finally one advantage of crime scene investigators - is that like police officers their costs
are covered by a yearly salary so their services should not add much additional cost to
the investigation
Unit: Crime Scene to Courtroom Date: Name:
Topic: 1.1 Personnel
- Crime scene investigators
- Forensic specialists/scientists
- Police officers/detectives
- Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
- Pathologist
- Other investigative agencies, e.g. Serious
and Organised Crime Agency, HM
Revenue & Customs
Notes made during the lesson (in your own words)
Various personnel are involved in criminal investigations, these include police officers, crime
scene investigators (SOCO’s), the crown prosecution service (CPS), pathologists, forensic
scientists and others.
POLICE OFFICERS/DETECTIVES
Police officers and detectives are usually the first personnel to arrive at a crime scene. Their first
role is to ensure the wellbeing of any civilians involved, this is done by calling ambulances,
giving first aid and clearing the area of the general public. If there are any suspects still at the
scene they will also be arrested immediately. Police officers then must ensure that any
evidence is not tampered with, contaminated or moved until the CSI comes to gather it. As well
as this officers will take statements from victims and witnesses as quickly as possible so no
crucial elements are forgotten
+ One advantage of police officers - is that they are always available. This is because they
work on an on-call basis meaning that they can be accessed 24/7. This is highly
beneficial as it ensures that the ‘golden hour’ is taken advantage of, if suspects are still at
the scene when officers arrive it will save time trying to identify and locate them at a later
date. As well as this it ensures that statements are taken from victims and witnesses
while the incident is still fresh in their minds, if police were not available vital information
could be forgotten. Finally, if anyone at the crime scene is severely injured and need
immediate attention, police officers need to be there in minutes to call ambulances and
give first aid, otherwise people might lose their lives.
+ Another advantage of police officers - is that they have had training. All officers must
undergo 3 years of training to become a part of the force and further training to become
a police detective. This means that they have specialist knowledge on how to correctly
deal with a crime scene and what to do in certain situations to keep civilians safe. As well
as this, officers can train and specialise in different areas for example, anti-terrorism and
road policing. Therefore, making the beginning of the investigation highly effective
+ Finally police officers and detectives costs are covered, as they are paid a yearly salary
, - One disadvantage of police officers - is that they may not secure the crime scene
effectively. This means that evidence may become contaminated and will not be
plausible to use in court. It's very possible for this to happen, due to the demanding
nature of police officers jobs if very close attention is not paid human error can occur.
Therefore greatly hindering the case in court as other evidence will have to be collected
which can take a long time.
- Another disadvantage of police officers - is that personal biases may occur. This means
that some police officers may not decide to investigate certain incidents like domestic
abuse or hate crimes, due to their personal opinions and authority to do so. Another bias
that could affect the effectiveness of police officers is institutional racism. Which can
affect crime scene procedures, as discriminatory attitudes have been found amongst the
police force. An example of this is Stephen Lawrence, who was killed during a racially
motivated attack. Police officers who were called to the scene failed to recognise this
incident as racially motivated as well as failing to investigate suspects, resulting in an
injustice. This is highly ineffective as the bias and racism of several police officers means
that some crimes are not investigated properly and evidence is overlooked.
CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS
Crime Scene Investigators (CSI’s) role is to collect and preserve evidence from crime scenes.
One of their main responsibilities is to ensure that all evidence at the scene remains
uncontaminated otherwise it would be inadmissible in court. CSI’s also work closely with police
at the scene to decide what evidence is “vital” and how they wish to collect it as well as
photographing the scene to capture any important details (items, tyre marks, shoe prints,
people, victims, weapons). Once all of the evidence is gathered CSI must pack, store and
document all material taken from the crime scene to then be sent onto forensic specialists.
Occasionally they also attend post mortem examinations of unusual deaths.
+ One advantage of crime scene investigators - is that they are experts at their professions .
This is because like most other personnel CSI must have thorough training, in addition
many also have a degree in a science related field and are highly knowledgeable with
this type of work. Therefore implying that they are able to carry out their role in criminal
investigations effectively due to the large amounts of learning and effort that is put in
before becoming a CSI. As a result CSI’s have the ability to gather evidence that can
assuredly link a suspect to a crime scene or victim, enabling the perpetrator to be caught
and potentially put into prison.
+ Another advantage of crime scene investigators - is that they work on an on-call basis.
This means that they can be called to a crime scene at any hour, which is highly
important due to crimes taking place at all times of day. If this was not the case police
officers would have to wait until they were available which makes the likelihood of
evidence contamination much higher, as factors such as weather can destroy or change
vital details left at the incident. Therefore as they are always available, evidence found by
CSI should be uncontaminated and sufficient to use in court to prove a suspect innocent
or guilty.
+ Finally one advantage of crime scene investigators - is that like police officers their costs
are covered by a yearly salary so their services should not add much additional cost to
the investigation
