AC1.2 Identify three investigative techniques in the case study and other criminal
investigations and assess how useful they are.
One investigative technique used by the police is databases. Intelligence databases
are used by the police to store and access information, obtained from multiple
sources, that will help with cases. There is the Police National Computer (PNC)
which contains real time information about suspected criminal activity. A PNC check
will show a person's convictions, cautions, warnings or reprimands, as well as dates
and outcomes of criminal justice proceedings. They are usually carried out via the
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). There is also the Police National Database
(PND) which is available to all UK police forces and selected law enforcement
agencies. It allows these organisations to share nationally, intelligence and other
information captured in local systems, such as, arrests, cautions, vehicle registration
and driving licence. The DNA database contains DNA samples of people who have
been arrested. A strength of using a DNA database is that they allow samples
collected at the crime scenes to be matched. The DNA database was used in the
Melanie Road case. She was 17 years old when she was stabbed 26 times and
raped on her way home in June 1984. In 2014 DNA of Christopher Hampton’s
daughter was taken after she received a caution from the police and added to the
database. In 2015, Christopher Hampton was caught after a partial match was made
between the DNA of Hampton’s daughter and frozen DNA of the killer found at the
crime scene during a cold case investigation; he was later charged with murder and
given a life sentence. Another strength is that the databases contain a large number
of records and the PND and PNC are available to all UK police forces and some law
enforcement agencies and therefore can be easily shared. However, it is difficult to
cross check the information due to the use of separate databases. Furthermore, the
DNA database doesn't contain everyone's DNA so at a crime scene it may not be
possible to get a match to forensic evidence that's been collected. Overall,
databases are useful because they can be very helpful when trying to find the
suspect due to the large size of the database records, however, if the suspect hasn't
offended before, they can not be matched and therefore the databases can’t be used
to identify the suspect, so they are only useful in certain situations.
Another investigative technique used by the police is forensic evidence. Forensics
are scientific tests and techniques used to assist in investigating crime which are
carried out by experts. DNA is found in every single cell of the human body and each
person's DNA profile is unique. There are different types of forensics including:
cheiloscopy (lip prints), Forensic dentists, forensic anthropology and fingerprints. Lip
prints deal with the identification of humans based on lip traces which aids in
identification of human remains and can be collected through post-mortem
identification. Forensic dentists deal with the identification of human remains and age
estimation, specifically focusing on teeth. It is conducted through looking at dental
records, radiographs, photographs and DNA. Forensic anthropology is where
skeletal analysis and techniques are applied in archaeology to solve criminal cases
by examining teeth, size and shape of bones, and fractures. Fingerprints are an
impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger to help connect a crime scene
to an offender. It is conducted through ‘dusting’, where a fine powder sticks to the
oils in the fingerprint and once it becomes visible it can be lifted using clear tape. A
strength of using forensics is that it can prove both innocence as well as guilt,
ensuring that justice is served accurately. DNA from relatives can provide partial
investigations and assess how useful they are.
One investigative technique used by the police is databases. Intelligence databases
are used by the police to store and access information, obtained from multiple
sources, that will help with cases. There is the Police National Computer (PNC)
which contains real time information about suspected criminal activity. A PNC check
will show a person's convictions, cautions, warnings or reprimands, as well as dates
and outcomes of criminal justice proceedings. They are usually carried out via the
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). There is also the Police National Database
(PND) which is available to all UK police forces and selected law enforcement
agencies. It allows these organisations to share nationally, intelligence and other
information captured in local systems, such as, arrests, cautions, vehicle registration
and driving licence. The DNA database contains DNA samples of people who have
been arrested. A strength of using a DNA database is that they allow samples
collected at the crime scenes to be matched. The DNA database was used in the
Melanie Road case. She was 17 years old when she was stabbed 26 times and
raped on her way home in June 1984. In 2014 DNA of Christopher Hampton’s
daughter was taken after she received a caution from the police and added to the
database. In 2015, Christopher Hampton was caught after a partial match was made
between the DNA of Hampton’s daughter and frozen DNA of the killer found at the
crime scene during a cold case investigation; he was later charged with murder and
given a life sentence. Another strength is that the databases contain a large number
of records and the PND and PNC are available to all UK police forces and some law
enforcement agencies and therefore can be easily shared. However, it is difficult to
cross check the information due to the use of separate databases. Furthermore, the
DNA database doesn't contain everyone's DNA so at a crime scene it may not be
possible to get a match to forensic evidence that's been collected. Overall,
databases are useful because they can be very helpful when trying to find the
suspect due to the large size of the database records, however, if the suspect hasn't
offended before, they can not be matched and therefore the databases can’t be used
to identify the suspect, so they are only useful in certain situations.
Another investigative technique used by the police is forensic evidence. Forensics
are scientific tests and techniques used to assist in investigating crime which are
carried out by experts. DNA is found in every single cell of the human body and each
person's DNA profile is unique. There are different types of forensics including:
cheiloscopy (lip prints), Forensic dentists, forensic anthropology and fingerprints. Lip
prints deal with the identification of humans based on lip traces which aids in
identification of human remains and can be collected through post-mortem
identification. Forensic dentists deal with the identification of human remains and age
estimation, specifically focusing on teeth. It is conducted through looking at dental
records, radiographs, photographs and DNA. Forensic anthropology is where
skeletal analysis and techniques are applied in archaeology to solve criminal cases
by examining teeth, size and shape of bones, and fractures. Fingerprints are an
impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger to help connect a crime scene
to an offender. It is conducted through ‘dusting’, where a fine powder sticks to the
oils in the fingerprint and once it becomes visible it can be lifted using clear tape. A
strength of using forensics is that it can prove both innocence as well as guilt,
ensuring that justice is served accurately. DNA from relatives can provide partial
