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WJEC criminology AC1.2 write up
- Module
- Crime Scene to Courtroom
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- WJEC
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AC 1.2 ASSESS THE USEFULLNSS OF INVESTIGATIVETECHNIQUES IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
Forensics
One of the five investigative techniques is forensics, this is where scientific methods are used to
uncover information about a crime. Forensics is normally used either at a crime or a scene or at the
lab, the evidence is gathered at the scene and then investigated at the laboratory where there is
specialist equipment to help. Forensic scientists use different methods/ techniques to solve the
crime. These methods include fingerprint matching, gathering fibres and body fluids as well as
testing for DNA matches. When forensic scientists are at a scene it is essential for them to be
wearing protective clothing so that the crime scene isn’t contaminated. Forensic specialists are used
in many different crimes ranging from arson, robbery, rape, and murder. Once the evidence has
been gathered it is then carefully examined where tailored equipment helps to aid in retrieving
hidden evidence. Forensics are very useful in helping with investigations because DNA profiling can
be used to identify suspects using their salvia, blood, hair, and other body fluids. DNA is found in
nearly every cell, so it is high likely to be found at the scene of a crime. Also DNA is unique to
everyone apart from identical twins, although it has similarities within families. A cast study to
support this is the Collette Aram case, this is where a young teenager was raped and killed in 1983.
Due to their deprivation of technology the police weren’t able to identify who the murder was.
However in 2008 once DNA profiling was introduced the police were able to catch the offender: Paul
Hutchingson using DNA evidence from his son after he was arresting following a motoring incident. A
weakness of using DNA is that there is the risk of cross-contamination which could lead to the false
accusion of someone, this is seen in the David Butler case. It is also very important that the DNA is
collected and preserved correctly otherwise it could become corrupted, when this happens the
evidence would be ruled inadmissible in court. This means it can’t be used within court, this could
affect if someone is found guilty or innocent. Fingerprints are another example of a strength of
forensic science as no one has the same patterns, it is thought to have a 1 in 64 billion chance of it
being the same, which is extremely unlikely. Also fingerprints can be found on any hard surface and
can last on average 2 hours up to 40 years; this means that there’s a greater chance of the offender
getting caught as their fingerprints can be left for a long period of time. However there can be many
mistakes made when analysing fingerprints because it’s a very tedious process and requires a lot of
time. Overall the weaknesses of forensics within investigations are that the evidence has to be
carefully examined and if not their critical evidence could be missed.
Surveillance
Surveillance is one of the most reliable source of evidence as they are usually recording for long
periods of time, this allows the police to obtain time accurate evidence, which is why it is the first
thing a police would ask for during an investigation. CCTV is a good example of surveillance as it is
usually helpful in deterring criminal behaviour as someone knows they are being watched. Although
this may not be entirely helpful in situations where a lot of movement happens; they are usually
fixed to a wall or ceiling which means that they can’t move positions to follow the movements of
someone. Some cameras are able to move perspectives to allow a minimal amount of movement.
CCTV evidence can be extremely useful in crimes such as robbery, assault, murder as camera is
usually placed around public areas and in streets. However on the other hand CCTV could be
considered unreliable as there are several factors contributing to the evidence being gathered. For
example quite a lot of camera get the data collected wiped automatically after a certain period of
time usually this is 31 days. This can be tricky within investigations because the police may need a
recording of someone from the month before but as it was wiped the substantial evidence is gone.
The age and type of the camera could play a huge part in an investigation because if there was an
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