OVM3702 ASSIGNMENT 1 2026
DUE AUGUST 2026
SECTION A
QUESTION 1
1.1 Explain the immediate actions you would take on arrival at the murder crime
scene.
Upon arrival at a murder crime scene, the investigator must immediately assess the
scene to ensure safety, determining whether the perpetrator is still present and whether
any danger exists to officials or the public. The scene must be approached with caution
and safe access routes identified to prevent destruction of evidence and ensure the
safety of emergency personnel. The investigator must ascertain whether the victim is
indeed deceased; if the victim is still alive, an attempt must be made to obtain a dying
declaration and the victim must be transported to hospital with a police escort.
The murder scene must be physically cordoned off using ropes, barricades and
additional personnel to prevent unauthorised persons from entering and destroying or
removing evidence, and access control must be strictly enforced. Experts such as
fingerprint specialists, photographers, ballistics experts and the district surgeon must be
summoned immediately as soon as the scene has been safeguarded. Witnesses must
be taken to a safe area away from the scene and prevented from discussing the case
with one another, as facts might later be labelled as hearsay evidence, and their
particulars must be recorded without delay.
If the suspect is still at the scene, he or she must be arrested and searched, and the
murder weapon must be seized if still in the suspect's possession; the suspect must not
be allowed to wash hands or use the toilet unsupervised, as this could destroy evidence
, such as blood, semen or primer residue. After examining the body, it must be covered
with a clean cloth or sheet that does not contain loose fibres that could contaminate the
body, and the body must not be moved before photographs have been taken. Finally,
the investigator must make detailed notes of all observations, including the exact time of
arrival, a description of the scene, the condition of the body, and any disturbances or
evidence observed, as these notes will later form the basis of statements and court
testimony (OVM3702 SG, Learning Unit 1, pp. 5–8).
1.2 Protecting and processing the crime scene and collecting physical evidence (
The protection of a murder crime scene requires physical cordoning with ropes,
barricades and personnel to establish a perimeter that defines the size of the scene and
controls access. Only essential personnel must be allowed entry, with a single entry and
exit route identified and marked with tape, and a log must be kept of all persons
entering and leaving the scene. Weather conditions such as rain, wind and direct
sunlight can damage the body and other exhibits, so suitable clean containers must be
placed over exhibits to protect them.
Family and friends of the deceased must be questioned about their actions before the
investigator arrived and asked to leave the scene, while curious onlookers and souvenir
hunters must be removed to prevent contamination and destruction of evidence.
Smoking must be prohibited at the scene, and members of the SAPS must be
prevented from trampling the scene unnecessarily or contaminating it with cigarette
butts. In processing the scene, the investigator must form an image of the entire scene,
including access and escape routes, and observations must be recorded by means of
notes in a pocketbook, photographs, sketch plans and video recordings.
DUE AUGUST 2026
SECTION A
QUESTION 1
1.1 Explain the immediate actions you would take on arrival at the murder crime
scene.
Upon arrival at a murder crime scene, the investigator must immediately assess the
scene to ensure safety, determining whether the perpetrator is still present and whether
any danger exists to officials or the public. The scene must be approached with caution
and safe access routes identified to prevent destruction of evidence and ensure the
safety of emergency personnel. The investigator must ascertain whether the victim is
indeed deceased; if the victim is still alive, an attempt must be made to obtain a dying
declaration and the victim must be transported to hospital with a police escort.
The murder scene must be physically cordoned off using ropes, barricades and
additional personnel to prevent unauthorised persons from entering and destroying or
removing evidence, and access control must be strictly enforced. Experts such as
fingerprint specialists, photographers, ballistics experts and the district surgeon must be
summoned immediately as soon as the scene has been safeguarded. Witnesses must
be taken to a safe area away from the scene and prevented from discussing the case
with one another, as facts might later be labelled as hearsay evidence, and their
particulars must be recorded without delay.
If the suspect is still at the scene, he or she must be arrested and searched, and the
murder weapon must be seized if still in the suspect's possession; the suspect must not
be allowed to wash hands or use the toilet unsupervised, as this could destroy evidence
, such as blood, semen or primer residue. After examining the body, it must be covered
with a clean cloth or sheet that does not contain loose fibres that could contaminate the
body, and the body must not be moved before photographs have been taken. Finally,
the investigator must make detailed notes of all observations, including the exact time of
arrival, a description of the scene, the condition of the body, and any disturbances or
evidence observed, as these notes will later form the basis of statements and court
testimony (OVM3702 SG, Learning Unit 1, pp. 5–8).
1.2 Protecting and processing the crime scene and collecting physical evidence (
The protection of a murder crime scene requires physical cordoning with ropes,
barricades and personnel to establish a perimeter that defines the size of the scene and
controls access. Only essential personnel must be allowed entry, with a single entry and
exit route identified and marked with tape, and a log must be kept of all persons
entering and leaving the scene. Weather conditions such as rain, wind and direct
sunlight can damage the body and other exhibits, so suitable clean containers must be
placed over exhibits to protect them.
Family and friends of the deceased must be questioned about their actions before the
investigator arrived and asked to leave the scene, while curious onlookers and souvenir
hunters must be removed to prevent contamination and destruction of evidence.
Smoking must be prohibited at the scene, and members of the SAPS must be
prevented from trampling the scene unnecessarily or contaminating it with cigarette
butts. In processing the scene, the investigator must form an image of the entire scene,
including access and escape routes, and observations must be recorded by means of
notes in a pocketbook, photographs, sketch plans and video recordings.
