Unit 3 AC 1.2 - assess the usefulness of investigation techniques in criminal investigations.
Forensic - Forensics is both an intelligence and evidential tool to assist in the delivery of justice.
It involves the analysis and interpretation of relevant materials and data in criminal
investigations and court proceedings, the results of a forensics test can be used in the court of
law to support evidence admitted at trial. Forensic scientists analyze physical evidence
(fingerprints, blood and hair) from the scene to identify suspects, and produce hard scientific
evidence which is useful when convincing the jury in court. Forensic entomology can also help
when noting the time of death. In the Brian Keatings case one murderer was found due to the
use of forensics, dog hairs were found on the weapon and they were traced back to Daniel
McGowan. Forensics enabled the hairs to be linked to that of Daniel McGowan and therefore
provided evidence of murder.
With this being said, forensic techniques have only been developed in recent years meaning
that many older cases would not have used these techniques. Forensics majoritarily rely on
technology which means it is expensive as well as objective, in order to find a match within their
database the perpetrator has to have already been put on their database. Similarly with dog
DNA, that specific dog has to be on the database in order to find a match, so forensics are not
always so useful in criminal investigations unless DNA is already on the database. Another
downfall of forensics is they are not able to give much insight on crimes committed by twins or
by a twin, as twin DNA is virtually identical which makes it difficult for convictions. Not only is
there a database for DNA but also things like shoes, fibre and car tires, as i mentioned for the
DNA database in order for there to be a match within their system it has to have already been
logged which also applies to these other databases. If the evidence collected has no match they
give little help in solving the investigation.
Surveillance techniques - surveillance is used to make security maintenance easier for police
and to help prevent and predict crime. The main benefit of surveillance cameras is increasing
public safety, by keeping an eye out for crime. They act as a deterrent for crime as if a
suspicious individual/individuals are seen in the area the appropriate authorities can be
contacted to move into the area before any damage is done or any crime is committed.
Surveillance can also deter the actual individual from committing a crime as they may be less
willing to commit crime in fear of being caught. Since public safety is guaranteed, people's fear
of crime can also be reduced while their sense of security is created. If a criminal commits a
crime in an area where a public surveillance camera has been set up the chances of the
criminal being caught are much higher. During the London riots in 2011 CCTV captured footage
of bricks being thrown at the police, young men setting fire to a building and therefore led to
over 4,000 arrests. Due to the improvement of facial recognition over the years, if the criminal is
caught by any cameras the local authority is able to recognize and catch them easier with facial
recognition technology. China is an example of an area with mass surveillance, they are able to
efficiently track down a criminal in just as little as 7 minutes. The footage collected from
cameras and drones widens the database meaning it is more likely for someone to commit a
crime and them to already be on the database. The police also have covert surveillance. Covert
human intelligence sources applies to the information obtained by a person who establishes or
maintains a personal or other relationship with the person for the covert purpose of using it to
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