AC 1.1 Evaluate the effectiveness of the roles of personnel included in a criminal investigation.
The key responsibilities of a scene of the crime officer are obtaining evidence, preserving the crime
scene, and photographing any evidence. SOCO go through training to guarantee that they are
competent enough to fulfil these responsibilities. The fact that the scene of the crime officers has
high expertise is an advantage as it means they are unlikely to make errors. Another advantage of
SOCO is that they have the ability to prove the innocence or guilt of a suspect by obtaining relevant
evidence that is admissible in court. However, this is a time-consuming and expensive process that
does not ensure a conviction. One limitation of SOCO is the possibility of evidence cross-
contamination. This might result in erroneous convictions, which is evident in the case of Amanda
Knox she was wrongly convicted of murdering her roommate as a result of cross contamination.
Another example of the ineffectiveness of SOCO is evident in the case of Stephen Lawrence, where
they neglected to follow up on vital evidence due to institutional racism. [LINK TO BRIEF]
One of the main responsibilities of police officers in a criminal investigation is to protect life and to
preserve the crime scene. A strength of police officers is that they have a high level of expertise as
they go through extensive training. This is a strength as having high expertise means that the
likelihood of making errors should be minimal. One other advantage is that they have specialist units
such as air support and underwater search units. This is advantageous as it ensures that each
criminal case is being handled appropriately. A strength of police officers in criminal investigations is
that the costs are cheap to employ, the average salary of a police officer is £26,565. Additionally,
they are accessible 24/7 and are quick to respond to crimes. On the other hand, the number of
police in England and Wales has decreased 14% since 2010 to 2019. This is a limitation as the
availability of police has dropped, this could mean that there is more workload on existing police
officers. Ultimately, meaning that they could be under pressure and end up not completing their
work to a high standard. The drop in availability is a drawback as it can decrease the effectiveness of
the officers in a criminal investigation and could even lead to life changing mistakes. An example of a
life changing mistake is evident in the Hillsborough disaster, this is where the police failed to prevent
overcrowding at the stadium. One other limitation of police officers is that there are biases within
the police force. This decreases the effectiveness of the police in criminal investigations as they have
been criticised for not doing anything about reported hate crimes. An example of the ineffectiveness
of police is seen in the Stephen Lawrence case, where the police failed to recognise the murder as a
racially motivated crime due to institutional racism. [LINK TO BRIEF]
Forensic pathologists are experts in performing post-mortems and autopsies to determine the cause
of death. An advantage of forensic pathologists is that they are highly trained. They can establish a
person's innocence or guilt, which is an asset in criminal investigations. One of their primary
advantages is that the pathologist can provide definitive precise evidence, including the cause and
time of death. However, they are expensive; there are around 35 home office registered forensic
pathologists in England and Wales. As a result, they are not constantly available, which means they
may be overburdened with work and under pressure to make mistakes. Furthermore, inaccuracies
and blunders are detrimental to the case. A pathologist's job may be emotionally taxing. Richard
Shepherd, a forensic pathologist for 27 years, was diagnosed with PTSD. The case of Anthony Hardy
exemplifies the ineffectiveness of forensic pathologists, as Dr Patel decided that Anthony Hardy's
first victim, Sally White, died of natural causes. His incompetence led to Anthony Hardy not being
,prosecuted for the murder of his first victim. This decision allowed Hardy to walk free and kill more
women. [LINK TO BRIEF]
Crown Prosecution Services' primary tasks include identifying whether cases should be prosecuted,
determining the proper charges for more complicated cases, and preparing cases and presenting
evidence in court. One of the CPS's strengths is their high level of expertise (as they are qualified
lawyers) and availability. Another advantage is that they have overseen charging and prosecuting
rather than the police since 1986, meaning that there is less bias - theoretically. Another benefit is
that the ‘Due Process' model is used to ensure fairness. One disadvantage may be that they are
dependent on police officers performing their duties effectively, resulting in a lack of independence.
Another limitation is that the impact of errors might have life-changing consequences and could
result in a miscarriage of justice. 500,000 cases for 2000 employees each year may result in work
overload, making them more prone to errors. An example of the CPS working ineffectively is evident
in the case of Damilola Taylor, where the prosecution's case was riddled with flaws, and heavily
reliant on unreliable witnesses.
, AC1.2 Assess the usefulness of investigative techniques in criminal investigations.
One investigative technique used in criminal investigation is eyewitness testimonies. Eyewitness
testimonies are an account of the events given by a witness who saw the crime take place.
Eyewitness testimonies are useful since they are a good starting point in a criminal investigation. The
basic details are valuable as they can open up other lines of enquiry. Eyewitness testimonies are best
in public areas. This is because there will be more people that may have knowledge of the incident,
unlike crimes committed in private areas such as domestic violence. Additionally, if you have
multiple eyewitness testimonies you can cross reference the details to ensure you get the most
accurate account of the events that occurred. However, research has been conducted and it shows
that 75% of miscarriages of justice were caused by inaccurate eyewitness statements. Therefore,
sometimes eyewitness testimonies aren’t useful since memory is very unreliable. Loftus and Palmer
study on eyewitness testimonies highlight the fact that the length of time and discussing the incident
can affect memory retention. The length of time can affect the ability to recall information as people
are prone to forgetting information that isn’t related to their everyday lives. This can lead to our
brains filling the gaps with incorrect information. Also discussing the event with peers tends to lead
to the embellishment of the incident, resulting in recalling untrue information. This is evident in the
case of Anthony Porter, who was sentenced to death for the murder of a couple in Chicago after two
eyewitnesses positively identified Mr. Porter in court as the killer. Mr. Porter was finally exonerated
after a private investigator obtained a video-taped confession of the actual killer.
Another investigative technique used in criminal investigations is intelligence databases. Intelligence
databases hold key information on suspects, criminals and sometimes even protesters. Intelligence
databases are useful in criminal investigations as it would flag any person in the database that might
be connected to the crime. Intelligence databases are useful since it’s good for catching repeat
offenders, considering today's recidivism rate. 75% of ex-inmates reoffend within nine years of
release, and 39.3% within the first twelve months, in the UK. A strength of intelligence databases is
that it’s quick and easy to use. Additionally, it’s a helpful resource that combines information from
different forces, an example of this is the Police National Computer. The Police National Computer is
a database used by law enforcement organizations throughout the UK. It’s used to help
investigations and provide information on people, vehicles, crimes, properties, and missing people.
However, sometimes intelligence databases are not useful as it won’t flag criminals who haven’t
been caught by the police. Additionally, intelligence databases won’t be useful in cases where the
perpetrator is a first-time offender. One other limitation of intelligence databases is that it requires
good record keeping. This means that the database will need frequent updating. In conclusion,
intelligence databases can be useful for repeat offenders. This is evident in the case of Jason Clark
where he was arrested for drug offences and sampled. The intelligence database was flagged as
potential match for a rape case 5 years prior. In November 2008 Jason Clark was convicted or rape.
One other investigative technique used in criminal investigations is surveillance. Closed Circuit
Television [CCTV] is a form of surveillance. CCTV footage can be used as evidence in court
proceedings if criminal activity is caught on camera. CCTV is useful in criminal investigations because
it is widespread, meaning that it can cover more areas than a police officer could. The average
Londoner is caught on CCTV about 300 times a day. CCTV is also useful because it is on 24/7. This is
