Conduct Investigations

Question 1

What are the two teams in a serious crime investigation?

Answer 1

1. Investigation

2. Support (also known as the Operation Headquarters Team)

Question 2

What are the factors that affect decision making?

there are 3

Answer 2

• Individual bias
• Verification bias
• Availability errors

Question 3

Describe

Individual bias

(It is a factor affecting decision making)

Answer 3

Decision making unconsciously affected by an individual’s perceptions of people, places and situations

e.g. perceptions based on prejudice, diversity, criminal record

Question 4

Describe

Verification bias

(It is a factor affecting decision making)

Answer 4

When thinking is channelled towards focusing on making decisions that support a certain point of view, thereby overlooking other alternative lines of enquiry or sources of material

e.g. a witness account that wrongfully ID’s an offender.

Question 5

Describe

Availability error

(It is a factor affecting decision making)

Answer 5

Availability error occurs when a person bases their decisions on material that is vivid and dramatic, emotionally charged, but it may not necessarily reflect the scope of material on which to make a correct decision

e.g. focusing on a victim’s account and over looking the collection of forensic evidence

Question 6

What are the four steps to the appreciation technique?

Answer 6

1. Aim or objective
2. Factors
3. Courses Open
4. Plan

Question 7

Appreciation technique:

Describe Step 1: Aim or objective

Answer 7

A short statement of intent beginning with a verb.

Read page 11

Question 8

Appreciation technique:

Describe Step 2: Factors

Answer 8

A factor is a statement of truth about some known influence or circumstance.

(Read page 11)

Question 9

Appreciation technique:

Describe Step 3: Courses open

Answer 9

Courses open ate the options you can identify after having assessed the factors and the deductions made from the factors.

(Read page 12)

Question 10

Appreciation technique:

Describe Step 4: Plan

Answer 10

Select the most appropriate courses for attention and plan the action you can take.

(Read page 12)

Question 11

Two forms of written appreciation:

Answer 11

Full appreciation

Short appreciation

Question 12

What are the 4 key areas of knowledge, understanding and skills that underpin a good investigation?

Answer 12

• Core legislation
• The characteristics of crime
• National policies and procedures
• Investigative techniques

Question 13

What is a reactive criminal investigation?

Answer 13

Starts with the discovery of a crime

Question 14

What is a proactive criminal investigation?

Answer 14

Starts with information or intelligence analysis indicating that an individual or a group of individuals is engaged in criminal activity

Question 15

Draw the diagram showing the stages of criminal investigations

Answer 15

Found page 15

Question 16

Does material always become evidence?

Answer 16

No

Question 17

Material attrition

Answer 17

total material gathered by an offence > the material gathered by police > material that is admissible as evidence

Question 18

What are the steps to applying the investigative mindset?

There are 5 principles.

Answer 18

Principle 1: Understand the source of the material

Principle 2: plan and prepare

Principle 3: Examine all material

Principle 4: Record and collate

Principle 5: Evaluate

Question 19

Define hypotheses

Answer 19

A suggested explanation for a group of facts either accepted as a basis for further verification or accepted as likely to be true

Question 20

When would a full appreciation be used?

Answer 20

High level or difficult tactical or administrative problems

Question 21

When would a short appreciation be used

Answer 21

Urgent or pressing matters requiring immediate attention

Question 22

What is ‘material’?

Answer 22

substance of any kind, including information, sounds, images

obtained in the course of a criminal investigation that has some bearing on any offence

Question 23

True or false

Material may or may not become evidence

Answer 23

True

Question 24

True or false

Material gathered during a course of an investigation always becomes evidence

Answer 24

false

Question 25

What does the investigation team do?

Give examples

Answer 25

Physically make enquiries to solve the case

Examples: Area Canvass, General Enquiries, Passive Data Generators, suspects and persons of interest

Question 26

What does the support team do?

Answer 26

Provides support resources for the investigation team

Help it organise and process the information gathered

Question 27

Practical steps to minimise the need to replace staff must be made early in every operation.

If you have leave, court, or other commitments pending, who should you advise?

Answer 27

The 2IC

Question 28

What are the two key tasks of any investigation?

Answer 28

1. Gathering and preserving information

2. Documentation

Question 29

What four things are critical to an investigative mindset?

Answer 29

• Critical thinking
• decision making
• the appreciation technique
• Evaluation

Question 30

What are three uses material can have

Answer 30

information, intelligence, evidence