AC1.2 full marks that I used in my controlled assessment and I received an A*. This writeup was marked by my 2 criminology teachers who are also Criminology Examiners.
Assess the usefulness of investigative techniques in criminal investigations
Intelligence Databases
These are a collection of information from lots of different sources. This information is called
‘intelligence’. This information has been collected and evaluated to make sure its useful and the
police in England and Wales have access to a number of databases, they can be a valuable way to
store and centralise information and to keep records and as they become more detailed, they
become an important investigative tool. An example of a database is the Police National Computer
(PNC). This contains the details of Arrests, Convictions, Cautions, Fingerprints, DNA, Vehicle Info,
Who has driving licenses, Disqualified drivers, Missing people and Wanted people. The Police
National Database contains 3.5 billion searchable records of suspects involved in crime and the
Criminal and Gangs Matrix contains info about people thought to have links with gangs. There are
international intelligence databases too such as the INTERPOL database.
A strength of intelligence databases is that it allows centralisation and sharing of intelligence across
police forces, both nationally and internationally. This saves time and resources as the police have all
this information at their fingertips. Another strength is that it has become a valuable tool for making
crucial links and solving crime. There are lots of examples of this such as tracing offenders via DNA.
A limitation of databases is that it could be problematic if the data stored on the database is
inaccurate. This may produce false leads or even miscarriages of justice. Another limitation is that
data could be misused by corrupt officers and one real life example when this occurred was when a
police officer in the USA used the vehicle database to locate and stalk women. Another limitation is
that there are civil liberties issues, sometimes people who are only suspected of crimes are on
intelligence database even though there’s no proof that they committed a crime.
A case study that links to databases is Levi Bellfield. Levi Bellfield was responsible for the
disappearance and murder of Milly Dowler, as well as two other victims. Analysis of CCTV footage
near to the crime scene revealed a white van which lead police to Levi. Police were able to search
the PNC to identify Bellfield’s van from 25000 stored on the database.
, Forensics
Forensic evidence is the application of science within legal proceedings. These are a multitude of
scientific techniques and methods which can find, collect and preserve evidence. Some examples are
fingerprints, shoeprints, fibres from clothes along with bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, semen or
even particles of skin, hair and dust. These are carefully collected by expert forensic specialists in
ways to avoid contamination and are put into specimen bags and sent to laboratories for analysis.
This process is extremely important because it is very easy for the defence team to say that the
evidence has been contaminated and so to prevent this from happening the evidence must be
processed and stored very carefully.
One of the most useful and important forensic techniques is extracting DNA. Everyone apart from
identical twins have a unique pattern of DNA. DNA is stored on the national DNA database (NDNAD).
This has transformed investigations as it can be a crucial piece of evidence linking a person to a
crime scene. The physical evidence which can be presented in court can be obtained from even very
tiny traces. In some cases, the perpetrator is detected not because their DNA is on the database but
because their DNA is similar to that of a relative which is on the database.
Strength of forensic techniques and the use of DNA is that it can lead to very secure evidence, this is
scientific, factual, and incontrovertible. This is a strength because everyone has DNA and it is unique
to the individual and therefore makes it a highly reliable source of evidence. Another strength of
DNA as forensic evidence is that it is especially useful for solving sexual or violent crimes as these
may result in physical evidence.
A limitation of DNA as forensic evidence is that a person can be falsely accused of a crime. For
example, in the David Butler case David Butler was accused of murder of Anne Marie Foy in 2005.
His DNA got transferred onto her some other way. His lawyer argued that DNA evidence had made
the police lazy. Another instance of where this has happened is in the Adam Scott case. Adam Scott
was accused of rape in 2011 his DNA was found to be a result of contamination at the forensics lab.
This shows that human error can lead to miscarriages of justice. DNA is also very expensive to
analyse.
A case study that links to DNA is the Paul Hutchinson case. Colette Aram was murdered in 1983,
before DNA was established as an investigative technique. However, her murderer Paul Hutchinson,
who had no previous criminal convictions, was caught and charged (in 2009) after his son was
detained on a driving matter in June 2008. A DNA swab taken of his son provided a familial match to
genetic material found on a paper towel at a pub where the killer stopped for a meal minutes after
killing Colette. The DNA sample stored on NDNAD (National DNA Database) from the initial crime
ensured that Paul Hutchinson was arrested, his DNA tested and that he was prosecuted for the
murder of Colette Aram.
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of behaviour activities or information for the purpose of influencing
managing or directing. This can include the use of electronic equipment (such as closed circuit
television cameras), interception of electronically transmitted information (such as Internet traffic on
GPS location) and human intelligence gathering. Three types of surveillance are CCTV, Covert and
Observation.
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