Initial Response Flashcards
What action must police staff take at the scene of a serious crime if the media are present?
Keep them away from the immediate crime scene cordon and make no comment about the incident. Consult with the OC investigation on arrival and explain what has happened, identify media members and where they are located.
Four actions you’ll take to control a scene?
Freeze
Control
Guard
Preserve
What must you do if a body has been disturbed at a scene?
Do not attempt to restore the scene to its original unchanged condition.
Make enquiries to enable the original unchanged scene to be subsequently reconstructed and photographed, if required.
Police purpose when they come across a death at a scene?
No matter what the circumstances of death are (eg, an accident, suicide, apparent natural causes, work place accident, or unexplained death), police purpose is always to investigate thoroughly and gather sufficient evidence to satisfactorily explain the circumstances of the death.
‘Factor’ in the Appreciation process (AFCOP). What is the method used to overcome the factor?
Ask the question “so what?” “What does this mean?”
The answer leads to a logical conclusion of conclusions.
Eg, “I only have five staff so what does this mean?”
“I only have five staff therefore I just prioritize?”
Keyword is “therefore”, it prompts logical conclusions.
Any deductions made must in turn be examined themselves and so on.
Explain common approach?
It is a route in and out of the scene that all staff/civilians are to use. This path will be a route that avoids any route taken to and from the scene by the suspect or victim. It is best to consider possible approach paths previously and establish a common approach path early to prevent loss of evidence and cross contamination.
What information should you ascertain from the informant /complainant which will assist in the investigation?
ID and location of suspect
A first hand account
Precise details of location of scene
Circumstances leading to discovery
Identity of victim
Details of anyone else at scene
Full contact details of complainant/informant
Demeanor of complainant/informant
Relationship of complainant/informant to victim or suspect
Details of action the complainant/informant has taken and where they’ve been
Details of any hazards or safety issues that may affect Police approaching the scene/victim
Which is one thing that a scene guard needs to record?
Record movements and vehicle details to, from and near the scene in the crime scene log.
Record details of every person authorized to enter scene.
Name
Authority
Purpose
Time of entry/exit
A walk through of the scene to establish if anyone else is present is called a what?
Reconnaissance
Police officer debriefed who spoke to informant. Why?
This record could become crucial if the informant is later identified as a suspect. In some circumstances, consideration should be given to interviewing such officers as investigatively important witnesses.
The actions of the first responding police have a critical effect in an investigation and on the potential for gathering evidence.
List the points in the general investigation model that should be applied in all cases?
Victim - ID and locate victims
Appreciation - make initial appreciation, assess personal risk, then preserve the lives of others
Witnesses - locate and contain witnesses
Scene - preserve the scene, ie boundaries
Exhibits - not evidence and preserve any that would otherwise be lost/destroyed
Ingredients - consider whether the ingredients of the alleged offence has been established
Powers - identify what powers are available and consider whether to execute them
Offenders - identify and apprehend suspect
Initial response to homicide or serious crime primary functions include:
- attending scene at early stage
- taking control of situations
What is the third?
Co-ordinating tasks
What is the first priority when conducting a risk assessment at the scene of a serious incident?
Initial action at the scene is crucial but may also present physical risks as well as a risk of contamination to the scene. Before initial action can be safely undertaken, those in charge at the scene must conduct an appreciation on the known Information to dictate how, why and what form initial action should take.
Subject to appreciation of risks, a reconnaissance should be conducted to establish who is present at the scene. This may include other injured people or a hidden offender.
The first priority will always be to ensure the safety of the attending police members.
List two types of conferences?
Investigation team conference
Forensic strategy meeting
Investigation briefings
What is an appreciation and what should initial police action be?
It is a proven method of problem solving. The process follows a series of steps to ensure the optimum course of action is decided upon. It considers all appropriate factors and weighs the benefits and risks of all alternative solutions, allowing sound decisions to be taken. It is an ongoing process which involves continually thinking through each new piece of information as it’s uncovered. Initial police action should be: Identify Secure Preserve Consider Record
