Criminology Unit 3 AC 1.2
Databases - correct answer-Hold information on suspects, witnesses, crimes, informants and
other relevant information.
Police National Computer - correct answer-PNC us used to help investigations and share
information of both national and local security. Makes critical missions easier for the police,
UK enforcement agencies and other criminal justice agencies throughout the UK. PNC also
provided real time data on people, vehicles, crimes and properties and well as alerts such
as: missing people, stolen objects or vehicles as well as vehicles requiring discreet checks.
PNC Effectiveness: Effective - correct answer-Provides useful information when investigating
crimes. Has links to European databases to allowing sharing of info internationally. Provides
real time checks on vehicles, properties and people as well as crimes.
PNC Effectiveness: Not Effective - correct answer-Database does not show photos. Basic
information. Generally not used as often anymore.Police often have to guess whether a
person is the suspect they are looking for based upon the description of the suspect.
Police National Database - correct answer-Available to all UK police forces and selected law
enforcement agencies. This allows different organisations to share the information they have
on a specific suspect. Contains 3.5 billion records. 20 Million records added every month.
222 databases. 4000 users. This database specializes in safeguarding children and
vulnerable people, countering terrorism and prevents organised crime.
PND Usefulness: Useful - correct answer-Allows sharing of information between forces.
Handles billions of records and images. Can help prevent and identify different crimes.
Includes allegations as well as number of convictions.
PND Usefulness: Not Useful - correct answer-Separate Database to Police National
Computer. Supposed to be replaced in 2020.
PNC AND PND - correct answer-PNC and PND are supposed to merge together to form Law
Enforcement Data Service.
National DNA Database - correct answer-Created in 1995. Individual samples obtained and
stored in a computer. Connects individuals to crimes.
DNA Database Usefulness: Useful - correct answer-Can lead police to certain suspects.
DNA records are kept for comparison. Technology improvement.
DNA Database Usefulness: Not Useful - correct answer-Human rights and privacy means
that suspects who are not convicted have their DNA destroyed. There is a risk of data abuse.
Contamination of evidence is still possible.
, Fingerprint Analysis - correct answer-Fingerprints are the ridges, whorls and valley patterns
at the end of each finger. No two people have the same fingerprints. Everyone's fingerprint is
unique. There is a one in 64 billion chance that two people will have the same fingerprints.
Can be found on any hard surface including the human body.
Visible (Patent Prints) - correct answer-Visible prints are formed when blood, dirt, ink, or
paint is transferred from finger to surface. Patent prints found on wide variety of surfaces.
Paper, cloth, wood, metal, glass and plastic.
Invisible Prints (Latent Prints) - correct answer-Formed when a body's natural oils are
deposited onto another surface. Found on a variety of surfaces however they are not as
visible and are a lot harder to find.Requires the use of fingerprint powders, or chemical
reagents to find these prints.The smoother the surface, the greater the chance of finding the
prints.
Comparing Fingerprints - correct answer-Fingerprint examiners use small magnifiers called
loupes to view finite details of a print. A pointer called a ridge counter is used to count the
friction ridges.
Fingerprint Analysis: Useful - correct answer-Fingerprints are reliable because two people
cannot have the same prints. Bio metric scanners are useful for security. Excludes people
from investigations if their prints were not at the crime scene. Not expensive to collect
fingerprints.
Fingerprint Analysis: Not Useful - correct answer-There may be problems with fingerprint
analysis. For example, if someone wears gloves, it will be harder to collect their fingerprints.
Biometric systems for phones and computers are expensive to create and maintain. Need 2
samples of a fingerprint to get a match. It is a tedious process to analyze fingerprints which
could lead to mistakes.
Offender Profiling - correct answer-Possible to work out the characteristics of an offender by
examining what they did in the crime they committed. Criminologist Ainsworth stated
"profiling generally refers to the process of using all available information about a crime, a
crime scene, and a victim in order to compose a profile of the unknown offender".
Goals of Profiling - correct answer-Provide social and psychological profiles on the offender.
Psychological evaluation of what the offender owns. Provides new interviewing strategies.
Methods of Profiling: American (Typological) - correct answer-There are different types of
offender. Behavioral evidence can tell us what type the offender is. Knowing the type of
offender, can help the police and other agencies predict things about the offender. This is
good for crimes such as rape, arson and torture.
Organised Offender - correct answer-Intelligent. Has a skilled occupation. Manipulative and
cunning. Married or cohabiting with a partner. Angry at time of murder. Likely to follow their
story in the media. This can be learned when the crime scene is left organised. This type of
offender is careful to cover their tracks, leaves few clues and victim is likely to be a stranger.
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