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Essay Answer Crime Scene to Courtroom - WJEC Applied Criminology Year Two
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Evaluate the effectiveness of the roles of personnel involved in criminal investigationsPolice, SOCOs, Pathologists & CPS
Police are first to be called to a crime scene – this is so they can safeguard the public & attend to anyone seriously
harmed. They also secure the crime scene to conserve evidence. Police are effective in criminal investigations
because they are trained to a good standard in England in Wales – this is their expertise. They also have a crucial role
as they need to preserve life and keep people safe – both which are their expertise. However, the number of officers
fell by 20,600 (a 14% decline) which limits their availability. Alongside this, some officers do not secure the crime
scene properly which limits the effectiveness of their role – this is also their expertise.
The case of Rachel Nickell links to the effectiveness of the police in criminal investigations – this is when Rachel had
been stabbed 49 times in the neck & torso. This case is not effective for the police because the offender, Robert
Napper, was on the police’s radar several times and had been flagged up as a kidnapper but actions were not
brought upon this. There were also many connections with Napper, e.g. a series of rapes, the murder of Rachel
Nickell and the murder of Samantha Bissett & 4 year-old daughter. These connections were not made which could’ve
saved the lives of Rachel Nickell and Samantha Bissett and her daughter. This demonstrates how effective the police
are in some criminal investigations.
SOCOS (Scenes of Crime Officers) are investigators who have to collect and preserve physical evidence from crime
scenes, post mortems and accidents. They mainly take charge of the evidence collection, e.g. taking fingerprints,
collecting gunshot residue. SOCOS are effective in criminal investigations as they have a crucial role in collecting and
preserving evidence – this links to their expertise. As well as this, they are highly trained professionals in their field,
and some take criminology/psychology degrees which both link to their expertise. However, only 1,300 are
employed by the Government which limits their availability. Their salary is an average of £30k, but starters get
around £16k-£24k which limits how many people want to be a SOCO as their cost is very low – this can also link to
their availability.
The case of Amanda Knox and Meredith Kercher explains the effectiveness of SOCOS in criminal investigations as the
SOCOs in charge of the crime scene didn’t take all of the blood stained fingerprints on Kercher’s possessions, and
they didn’t take charge of the evidence collection nor were they careful with it. This demonstrates how effective
SOCOs are in some criminal investigations.
Pathologists are medical doctors who examine dead bodies and body tissue, and determine the cause of death and
disease. As well, they provided clues for other roles in criminal investigations. Pathologists are effective in criminal
investigations as they are very highly skilled and very qualified which is their expertise. Pathologists are very highly
paid which is a strength and this links to their cost. However, as they’re very qualified, they have to do long studying
by medical school plus 7 years on top which limits their availability. As they’re doing long studies in school, there are
only 35 employed in the Home Office which gives them less availability which decreases their effectiveness in a
criminal investigation as they’re high demand but have limited amount.
The case of the Camden Ripper explains the effectiveness of Pathologists because Freddy Patel (Pathologists) had the
task to identify how White died, and gave the wrong conclusion of “heart attack”, when another Pathologist stated
White was murdered. This demonstrates how effective the Pathologists are in Criminal Investigations.
The Crown Prosecution Service are a prosecution agency who approve cases, decide the charges and present cases
in court. They also prepare cases for court hearings, collect evidence from police and disclosing material. There are
over 2000 solicitors and barristers who handle half a million criminal cases a year. The CPS is effective in criminal
investigations as there is a 24/7 on call advice service for police access – this links to their availability, which is 24
hours every day. Using the CPS, it prevents the police to victimise particular individuals – this is a strength that links
to their expertise. However, sometimes the CPS makes serious errors, which is their expertise. As well as this,
funding cuts in the CPS has meant that there has been a growing burden of costs – this relates to the cost and
decreases their effectiveness in criminal investigations.
The case of Damilola Taylor explains the effectiveness of the CPS because they had advised the police with saying he
wasn’t attacked and instead fell. They also decided that the charges were manslaughter and evidence brought in
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