This document includes model answers for all the AC's for the Unit 3 controlled assessment for Criminology (Crime Scene to Courtroom). These were completed under the 8 hour time constraints and achieved an A*. These are very useful for revision and comparisons against a realistic response. :)
Police officers play a vital role at the beginning of investigations as they are usually the first
personnel to arrive at a crime scene. They have many roles including interviewing and taking initial
witness statements immediately after a crime has been reported as this is known as the golden hour
and is vital to the evidence that can be used in court. There are also specialised officers within the
police such as counter terrorism officers who focus specifically on reducing and tackling terrorism.
There are many strengths for the police. They have high availability as the police must respond
quickly to emergencies and have a quick response time. For example, 71% of 999 calls are answered
within 10 seconds for the police (Harrogate, 2022). Furthermore, police officers undergo intense
specialised training and are often advised by more senior, qualified members of the police e.g.,
sergeants. The cost of the police is relatively low initially which is a strength as this means officers
have an incentive to work longer and allows the police force to employ more officers to tackle crime.
The starting salary for a police officer is £21k a year but more experienced officers can earn up to
£40k with more expertise. However, there is also a weakness to low salary and cost as a salary below
the national average can deter individuals from joining the police force. Furthermore, there is also a
high risk of stereotyping and bias from the police such as racism and sexism which can cause them to
abuse their power and unlawfully arrest individuals without a valid reason e.g., in the case of Ron
Cotton, a black man who was wrongfully arrested and served time in prison as police officers
reassured the victim that she had chosen the right offender when she had not. Furthermore, many
police officers do not have a degree as this is not a mandatory requirement and so the police can
make mistakes within investigations due to their lack of expertise which can often be the difference
between life and death. For example, in the case of Jean Charles De Menezes, he was wrongly shot
and killed by the police after he was accused of a failed suicide bombing. He was killed in the
Stockwell tube Station on the 22nd of July 2005. The Stockwell 2 report identified many mistakes
made by police officers including a lack of communication between officers, no warning to the victim
that the police were armed, and the image of the suspect was not checked in pursuit. Therefore, this
case shows that the police can be ineffective as they are prone to making mistakes.
Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) role involves finding and recording evidence found at crime scenes
which is relevant to the investigation and collecting information from post-mortems and accidents.
They type of evidence that they collect includes photographing crime scenes, packing and
documenting evidence and advising police investigations. Strengths of CSI’s include their availability
as they are available24/7, every day of the year as the largest police forces employ dozens of CSI’s
which increases their effectiveness as they can respond quickly. Furthermore, CSIs are highly trained
and have high levels of expertise and although it is not required, many applicants have degrees.
Furthermore, the starting salary of CSI’s are relatively low at £17k, but they can earn up to £37k a
year with experience, (National Careers Service, 2022), giving them an incentive to work harder and
allowing the police to employ a higher number of CSI’s. However, this is a very low starting salary
below the national average in the UK which means the best applicants who are more qualified may
be deterred and those who are employees may not be the best candidates for the job. Furthermore,
another weakness is that CSI’s can be prone to making mistakes, particularly because of the high risk
of cross contamination within crime scenes and missing out on key evidence which can result in
offenders not being prosecuted. For example, in the Amanda Knox case, some personnel entered the
crime scene without shoe covers and this evidence was then used in court to show that any evidence
obtained from the crime scene could not be used as it was unreliable and could have been
contaminated, this case highlights the fact that mistakes by Crime Scene Investigators can cause a
miscarriage of justice.
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