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1.1-1.4 Unit 3 criminology notes
- Module
- Crime Scene to Courtroom
- Institution
- WJEC
in-depth and detailed notes needed to obtain full marks in the criminology unit 3 controlled assessment. covers ac1.1-1.4 achieved grade=A
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Unit 3-crimescene to courtroomAc1.1-evaluate the effectiveness of the roles of personnel
involved in criminal investigations.
10 marks-link to brief- 1 hour
POLICE OFFICERS
Police officers are usually uniformed and personnel who work in and with
communities, the role of a police officer is to firstly maintain and enforce order
and the law but may also assist and support people within a community. When
a crime occurs a police officer is normally the first personnel on the scene and
their job is to make sure the scene is then secured to ensure the rest of the
investigation is carried out correctly, securing the scene could include them
diverting traffic through the use of roadblocks or using tape to tape off areas,
their role also includes stop and search and powers of arrest which could
include looking at suspects homes for incriminating evidence or evidence linking
them to a crime. Their job of securing the scene is to preserve life such as
injured people or casualties most importantly, they will do this by responding
appropriately such as by contacting an ambulance or so on, but the securing of a
scene is to also make sure that any evidence is uncontaminated and
undisturbed. Once this has happened the police officer will then interview
potential witnesses and write down any statements in their notebooks. This
process occurs through what is called the golden hour, this is the time/ period
immediately after a crime has been found in which the police have to act quickly
to secure the scene and preserve evidence along with taking statements from
witnesses and victims. This has to occur within the first hour as it could
potentially make or break a case (for example a case could break if the evidence
is contaminated etc..).
EXPERTISE
The expertise needed to become a police officer is any degree, this then needs
to be followed by a two-year transition/conversion course, degree
apprenticeship or policing degree, which is then followed up by extensive
training along with some individuals having specialist skills. This adds to the
effectiveness of police officers as they are trained individuals.
STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS
,Unit 3-crimescene to courtroom
The strengths of police are that their roles are really important in keeping
people safe and preserving life (however issues arise). Their roles are effective
as they keep the evidence safe by preserving it which is incredibly vital in
bringing the right person to justice along with acting as a deterrent with
uniformed police presence. However, there are weaknesses of police officers
such as the salary being quite low which in turn may put off individuals from
joining policing along with leaving existing officers dissatisfied with their job.
The current salary of a police officer is around £21,402 at a start point which can
then move up to £41,130 (outside of the Metropolitan Police) in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland using 2021 figures. The availability and number of police
officers are limited which may cause police response times to be slow and
lengthy despite the availability being 24/7 which resultingly decreases the
effectiveness of the police. However, to combat this issue, ` Boris Johnson has
pledged to recruit 20,000 extra officers’ after the numbers decreased from
2010-2019 by 20,600 which is a steep incline of 14%, detectives also fell into a
national shortage as numbers were greatly reduced.
Another limitation of this personnel is that the institutions in which they work
can be institutionally racist and corrupt. The Met Police provide examples of
both institutional racism and corruption, from the case of Stephen Lawrence in
which the Macpherson Report deemed them institutionally racist in 1999, the
case of Daniel Morgan provides evidence of their institutional corruption as
their objectives were corrupt because their first one was to protect themselves
after they `denied and concealed its failings over the murder of Daniel Morgan
which was unsolved’, consequently leading to the family `suffering grievously’
due to their dishonesty and reputational benefit. People may not want to report
crimes and feel discouraged which leads to the validity of official statistics being
affected which is partly due to prioritisation stemming from budget cuts where
certain crimes aren’t looked into as they are complex and take longer or are
hard to prove guilt such as rapes. An article by the Guardian in 2019 states that
`criminals are going unpunished because of cuts’ which has led to the `public’s
faith in the forces being damaged’-Chief constable David Thompson of the West
Midlands police.
DETECTIVES
A higher level than a police officer is a detective which is a non-uniformed
officer, this personnel has more experience when it comes to investigations
such as homicides and terrorism (uniformed officers cannot have a specialist
,Unit 3-crimescene to courtroom
crime). Detectives work outside the CID usually and also use higher-level
techniques (also known as specialist techniques) such as the cognitive interview.
Their job is to also give support to families and give evidence during a trial if
necessary. These officers are those who will carry/ lead investigations mostly for
serious crimes like murder and sometimes belong to a specialised department
such as fraud, civil nuclear constable etc.
The expertise needed to become a detective includes a graduate and a two-year
course along with twelve weeks of training in the detective academy, after this
CID placement is required followed by an exam (national investigators). Most
detectives however start out as police officers so have more experience.
LIMITATIONS
HM Inspectorate of constabulary 2019 stated that “cracks in the system are
widening”. In addition, there is a national shortage of detectives with 14%
vacant roles meaning police are prioritising crimes as well as a quarter of thefts
and common assaults are being looked into by underqualified officers who lack
experience decreasing the effectiveness of policing and detectives. Cases also
extract a mental toll on a person's mental health (when looking at crimes that
involve indecent images of children for example) which can lead to stress with a
heavy workload in addition.
SCENES OF CRIME OFFICERS/ CRIME SCENE OFFICERS (CSI/SOCO)
Scenes of crime officers are normal people (civillians) who are employed by the
police force and sometimes these individuals have an experience with science,
this can include ex-officers. The role of this personnel is to collect and protect
the physical and biological evidence from a crime scene and from accidents
which could include items such as body fluids, hairs, fibres, gunshot residue,
photographs, shoe prints and more. This role also extends to them being able to
attend a post-mortem in the case where a death is suspicious or unusual. The
findings SOCO collect can be used in a trial if the evidence is uncontaminated
and the scene was not compromised, this is because there is an international
standard (ISO 17020) to comply with to make sure evidence is admissible in
court. With every piece of evidence SOCO collect, they must keep records and
statements along with additional information systems updates on evidence.
, Unit 3-crimescene to courtroom
The cost of a SOCO is relatively low as the starting salary is from £16,000 a year
which is then increased with experience to £24,000, a manager SOCO can then
earn up to £35,000 with a UK average of £30,000. This job role is competitive as
police forces only employ a few dozen of these individuals with the government
only having employed 1,300 along with 500 in the biggest private provider.
STRENGTHS
An effective point of this personnel is that they are available 24/7, another point
that supports its effectiveness is the expertise as they are all trained to a
standardised level (international standard) along with a degree in science and
sometimes a psychology or criminology degree alongside. A supporting strength
of scene of crime officers is that they are really important personnel in justice as
they can influence whether a person is proven as guilty or innocent as they
collect and preserve the evidence to convict or dismiss which is essential during
criminal investigations as it can make or break a case. If needed SOCO can use
some effective powers to help aid their roles such as closing down areas such as
railways, airports, ports and roads.
LIMITATIONS
However, limitations of scene-of-crime officers include things such as strain on
mental health which may impact the quality of their work. While performing
their job they may also encounter and handle hazardous evidence and
dangerous substances, however, they are trained for this.
If any errors occur this could break a case and possibly lead to a person being
wrongfully convicted or a guilty person not being convicted as evidence may
have been deemed inadmissible due to lack of care or contamination. An
example of socos making errors is Meredith Kercher as they didn’t wear gloves
when handling evidence along with not properly collecting other evidence such
as a bra clasp which they later when back to collect but contamination could
have occurred within that period of time. Not all evidence SOCO’s collect is
tested as there is a limited budget meaning they can only take and test
important evidence, this is because each test cost £250 each decreasing the
effectiveness as they are limited.
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