AC1.1. Evaluate the roles of personnel involved in criminal investigations
Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCO’S)
-Employed by the police, they preserve and protect a crime scene and recover
uncontaminated physical or biological evidence from crime scenes, post mortems
and accidents vital to investigations, which they store, document and then can
present in court.
-They photograph the crime scene, items and people
Evaluation: Strengths:
-SOCO’S are vital in criminal investigations due to their expertise as they can collect
and analyse clues that assist the police and court to bring justice for the victims and
families that have been affected. Furthermore, evidence collected at the crime scene
must remain uncontaminated for it to stand as reliable evidence in court. But the risk
of it being contaminated is minimised as SOCO’S are qualified and trained in this
area and have the authority to take certain actions (like taking blood from and
unconscious person in a car crash- Police Reform Act 2002) making them more
beneficial to the investigation.
-Also, they are useful as they operate a 24/7 on call service and are therefore always
available to assist in criminal investigations when called to the scene. This is
effective as they are able to collect and spot fresh reliable evidence immediately (like
blood drops on the floor or clothing) and preserve it, preventing the risk of
contamination, which may help connect suspects to crime scenes.
Limitations:
-SOCO’S may be exposed to hazardous substances in the course of their roles,
such as contaminants touching the skin or airborne substances that could enter the
mouth, which can make the collection of evidence more difficult, however this is
minimised by wearing protective clothing, including masks and glasses. Despite this
due to budget cuts by the government, there is no funding or
modernisation/technology improvements therefore SOCO’S have to buy their own
equipment, which could result in less reliable contaminated evidence, as equipment
and protective clothing isn’t being replaced.
-SOCO’S don’t have enough training as there is also no training budget, and no
essential courses for staff development. This results in the failure to collect and
record evidence correctly making it more likely to be contaminated and become
inadmissible in court, leading to guilty individuals going free and potentially innocent
individuals being convicted.
-This lack of equipment and training can cause evidence to become unreliable which
can be seen in the case of Amanda Knox, the murder of Meredith Kutcher. Here the
evidence was contaminated as detectives wore shoe covers outside of the house
whilst SOCO’S failed to have any protective clothing on inside the house, this was
used in court to suggest the evidence was collected was very reliable.
, Forensic Scientists and Specialists
-They analyse and interpret evidence from a crime scene and produce information of
findings and interpretations for a court
-Forensic Scientists compile written reports, verify the authenticity of documents and
give out evidence in court
-Forensic Scientists analyse samples such as hair, body fluids, glass, paint and
drugs in the laboratory. applying various techniques as appropriate; e.g. DNA
profiling, mass spectrometry, chromatography.
-Forensic Scientists recover data from electronic equipment
-Forensic Specialists analyse and evaluate the breakdown of physical evidence
using different analysis methods like chemical, instrumental, microscopic, and
physical. They are sometimes required to work with blood and other biological fluids,
hair, gunshot residue, etc.
-Most Forensic specialists specialize in a single area of forensic investigation, such
as analysing fingerprints or photographing crime scenes.
-A forensic specialist’s job depends on their area of expertise. Some specialists
spend their entire day in a lab, while others spend their days visiting crime scenes in
search of evidence.
Evaluation: Strengths:
-One of the main advantages of forensic scientists/specialists is their expertise. They
are often accurate in identifying the correct detail of the crime, and the offender after
having to interpret the data and evidence which can be difficult, so forensic expertise
is required in order to undertake this and help bring justice.
-Furthermore, Forensics includes many specialist areas with expertise such as:
computers, fire, toxicology, dentistry and psychology. This means that different types
of evidence are analysed and interpreted by forensic scientists who have relevant
knowledge and skills to do so, resulting in a more accurate analysis of evidence
which proves innocence and guilt.
-Their availability is advantageous as it means that no matter when the crime
happens, they’re on hand, so fresh evidence can be preserved making it more useful
as it led to more clear identification. Despite this they may also be seen as less
available to everyone due to them being very expensive, so they usually can’t be
hired for a case, for a prolonged time so the time for forensic evidence securing
convictions is limited, resulting in mistakes being made or not enough being done to
investigate the evidence properly.
Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCO’S)
-Employed by the police, they preserve and protect a crime scene and recover
uncontaminated physical or biological evidence from crime scenes, post mortems
and accidents vital to investigations, which they store, document and then can
present in court.
-They photograph the crime scene, items and people
Evaluation: Strengths:
-SOCO’S are vital in criminal investigations due to their expertise as they can collect
and analyse clues that assist the police and court to bring justice for the victims and
families that have been affected. Furthermore, evidence collected at the crime scene
must remain uncontaminated for it to stand as reliable evidence in court. But the risk
of it being contaminated is minimised as SOCO’S are qualified and trained in this
area and have the authority to take certain actions (like taking blood from and
unconscious person in a car crash- Police Reform Act 2002) making them more
beneficial to the investigation.
-Also, they are useful as they operate a 24/7 on call service and are therefore always
available to assist in criminal investigations when called to the scene. This is
effective as they are able to collect and spot fresh reliable evidence immediately (like
blood drops on the floor or clothing) and preserve it, preventing the risk of
contamination, which may help connect suspects to crime scenes.
Limitations:
-SOCO’S may be exposed to hazardous substances in the course of their roles,
such as contaminants touching the skin or airborne substances that could enter the
mouth, which can make the collection of evidence more difficult, however this is
minimised by wearing protective clothing, including masks and glasses. Despite this
due to budget cuts by the government, there is no funding or
modernisation/technology improvements therefore SOCO’S have to buy their own
equipment, which could result in less reliable contaminated evidence, as equipment
and protective clothing isn’t being replaced.
-SOCO’S don’t have enough training as there is also no training budget, and no
essential courses for staff development. This results in the failure to collect and
record evidence correctly making it more likely to be contaminated and become
inadmissible in court, leading to guilty individuals going free and potentially innocent
individuals being convicted.
-This lack of equipment and training can cause evidence to become unreliable which
can be seen in the case of Amanda Knox, the murder of Meredith Kutcher. Here the
evidence was contaminated as detectives wore shoe covers outside of the house
whilst SOCO’S failed to have any protective clothing on inside the house, this was
used in court to suggest the evidence was collected was very reliable.
, Forensic Scientists and Specialists
-They analyse and interpret evidence from a crime scene and produce information of
findings and interpretations for a court
-Forensic Scientists compile written reports, verify the authenticity of documents and
give out evidence in court
-Forensic Scientists analyse samples such as hair, body fluids, glass, paint and
drugs in the laboratory. applying various techniques as appropriate; e.g. DNA
profiling, mass spectrometry, chromatography.
-Forensic Scientists recover data from electronic equipment
-Forensic Specialists analyse and evaluate the breakdown of physical evidence
using different analysis methods like chemical, instrumental, microscopic, and
physical. They are sometimes required to work with blood and other biological fluids,
hair, gunshot residue, etc.
-Most Forensic specialists specialize in a single area of forensic investigation, such
as analysing fingerprints or photographing crime scenes.
-A forensic specialist’s job depends on their area of expertise. Some specialists
spend their entire day in a lab, while others spend their days visiting crime scenes in
search of evidence.
Evaluation: Strengths:
-One of the main advantages of forensic scientists/specialists is their expertise. They
are often accurate in identifying the correct detail of the crime, and the offender after
having to interpret the data and evidence which can be difficult, so forensic expertise
is required in order to undertake this and help bring justice.
-Furthermore, Forensics includes many specialist areas with expertise such as:
computers, fire, toxicology, dentistry and psychology. This means that different types
of evidence are analysed and interpreted by forensic scientists who have relevant
knowledge and skills to do so, resulting in a more accurate analysis of evidence
which proves innocence and guilt.
-Their availability is advantageous as it means that no matter when the crime
happens, they’re on hand, so fresh evidence can be preserved making it more useful
as it led to more clear identification. Despite this they may also be seen as less
available to everyone due to them being very expensive, so they usually can’t be
hired for a case, for a prolonged time so the time for forensic evidence securing
convictions is limited, resulting in mistakes being made or not enough being done to
investigate the evidence properly.
