AC1.1 Identify five personnel involved in the case study and evaluate their
effectiveness.
One type of personnel involved in criminal investigations are the police. Police
officers are the first personnel called to a crime scene and their initial action is very
important. Their role is to preserve life and to secure the crime scene to conserve
any evidence that could be used. The period immediately after a crime is discovered
and officers must act quickly to preserve the scene and ensure there is no
contamination of evidence is called the ‘golden hour’. They are trained professionals
who investigate crime and attempt to reduce it as well as the fear of it. There are
also specialist units within the police force who are experts in that specific area such
as firearms and drugs. There are also police detectives who manage a range of
criminal investigations, particularly those involving complex or serious crimes. They
work within specialist departments such as fraud, drugs and child protection
departments. Strengths of police is that they are quick responders to crime through
999 and they undergo training to properly preserve crime scenes. They are also
good because they have the ability to arrest and detain people and also have access
to different crime units such as narcotics and anti-terrorism, which can be effective
when investigating crimes if that unit is needed. However, they also have limitations,
for example, police officers can be influenced by bias and prejudice such as
institutional racism, which was seen in the case of Stephen Lawrence, where the
initial investigation was very slow and there was no immediate search for the
offenders, with no arrests being made until over two weeks after the murder of
Lawrence, resulting in the real offenders not being caught. They can also abuse or
inappropriately use their power which they attempt to cover up, significantly reducing
their trustworthiness, and also may stereotype an offender, which can be a problem
because it could lead to society also stereotyping offenders and discriminating
against innocent people. Overall, the police are effective because their role in
criminal investigations is crucial to catching criminals as they secure the crime scene
and respond quickly to a crime. However, they can also be seen as not effective
because many factors such as abuse of power and being biassed can affect the
outcome of the investigation.
Another type of personnel are Scene of Crime Officers (SOCOs). Their duty is to
preserve and protect a crime scene and recover evidence. The crime scene must
remain uncontaminated because if contamination occurs, the evidence is
inadmissible in court. They typically search for trace evidence, such as gunshot
residue, fingerprints, hairs and fibres. They are always available to assist in criminal
investigations as they usually operate on an on-call system. Strengths of SOCOs is
that they undergo training to ensure that they are capable of correctly dealing with
materials, therefore they have a large amount of expertise so they can collect
materials which will help to identify the perpetrator. The evidence that was found by
SOCO teams has led to the conviction of some of Britain’s worst offenders.
Furthermore, accurate analysis of the crime scene can decrease the likelihood of
effectiveness.
One type of personnel involved in criminal investigations are the police. Police
officers are the first personnel called to a crime scene and their initial action is very
important. Their role is to preserve life and to secure the crime scene to conserve
any evidence that could be used. The period immediately after a crime is discovered
and officers must act quickly to preserve the scene and ensure there is no
contamination of evidence is called the ‘golden hour’. They are trained professionals
who investigate crime and attempt to reduce it as well as the fear of it. There are
also specialist units within the police force who are experts in that specific area such
as firearms and drugs. There are also police detectives who manage a range of
criminal investigations, particularly those involving complex or serious crimes. They
work within specialist departments such as fraud, drugs and child protection
departments. Strengths of police is that they are quick responders to crime through
999 and they undergo training to properly preserve crime scenes. They are also
good because they have the ability to arrest and detain people and also have access
to different crime units such as narcotics and anti-terrorism, which can be effective
when investigating crimes if that unit is needed. However, they also have limitations,
for example, police officers can be influenced by bias and prejudice such as
institutional racism, which was seen in the case of Stephen Lawrence, where the
initial investigation was very slow and there was no immediate search for the
offenders, with no arrests being made until over two weeks after the murder of
Lawrence, resulting in the real offenders not being caught. They can also abuse or
inappropriately use their power which they attempt to cover up, significantly reducing
their trustworthiness, and also may stereotype an offender, which can be a problem
because it could lead to society also stereotyping offenders and discriminating
against innocent people. Overall, the police are effective because their role in
criminal investigations is crucial to catching criminals as they secure the crime scene
and respond quickly to a crime. However, they can also be seen as not effective
because many factors such as abuse of power and being biassed can affect the
outcome of the investigation.
Another type of personnel are Scene of Crime Officers (SOCOs). Their duty is to
preserve and protect a crime scene and recover evidence. The crime scene must
remain uncontaminated because if contamination occurs, the evidence is
inadmissible in court. They typically search for trace evidence, such as gunshot
residue, fingerprints, hairs and fibres. They are always available to assist in criminal
investigations as they usually operate on an on-call system. Strengths of SOCOs is
that they undergo training to ensure that they are capable of correctly dealing with
materials, therefore they have a large amount of expertise so they can collect
materials which will help to identify the perpetrator. The evidence that was found by
SOCO teams has led to the conviction of some of Britain’s worst offenders.
Furthermore, accurate analysis of the crime scene can decrease the likelihood of
