Initial response to homicide or serious crime Flashcards
What are the two key tasks of any investigation?
- Gathering and preserving evidence
- Documentation
**Who is responsible for the investigation?
Everyone, not just the OC
What is the purpose of a team conference?
- Keep all members up to date with developments
- Give team members opportunities to exchange views and pass on important information
- Give 2IC the opportunity to pass on instructions to staff on file management and other administrative matters
- Give the officer in charge the chance to brief the team on important investigative topics, priorities and lines of enquiry to follow
Team conferences are usually chaired by the officer in charge. They must be carefully:
- Planned
- Recorded
- Focused and managed so they are not overly drawn out
What are the different types of conferences?
- Initial conference
- Regular
- Debrief
- Phase team conferences
The first police arriving at the scene of a serious crime are responsible for all police action until:
They are relieved by a supervisor, CIB staff or OC investigation
**What are the three primary functions of initial police responders?
- Attending the scene at an early stage
- Taking control of the situation
- Co-ordinating tasks
**Whilst most offences of homicide are identified as a result of a body being found or by a person responsible for the offence making admissions, some incidents notified to the police are not initially identifiable as a homicide. Such instances may include:
- Report of a missing person
- Sudden unexplained death of an infant
- Unexplained death
- Report of an abduction
- Report of violence where no fatalities are anticipated
- Crime scene without a body present
- Hit and run collision
- Suicide
- Fatal fire
- Drug related deaths
What does VAWSEEPO stand for?
Victim Appreciation Witnesses Scene Exhibits Elements Powers Offenders
**What are the basic principles underpinning all serious crime investigations?
- Appreciation
- Preserve life
- Preserve scene
- ID and apprehend suspects
- Secure evidence
- ID victim
True or false: If the victim is injured police must accompany them to hospital?
True
**Once at hospital with a victim what should you do?
Ascertain medical condition
Preserve clothing
Debrief relevant medical staff
Update OC investigation
**What are the benefits of doing an appreciation>
- Manages risk
- Reduces uncertainty
- Informs all Police what they are expected to achieve
- Increases the chances of success i.e. the investigative aims/objectives being met
- Establishes a sequence of activities to be carried out
- Eliminates duplication
- Ensures nothing is overlooked
- Effective use of resources
**What are the four steps in an appreciation?
Aim, Factors, courses open, plan
*Define Aim
Short statement which demonstrates a single objective
*Define Factors
Any circumstance or fact that could have an effect
Examples of factors (FLREE
- Further risk to life
- location of possible suspects
- resources available
- evidence requiring preservation
- environment/ weather conditions
*Define courses open
List of all the possible ways the aim could be achieved, bearing in mind the factors and the deductions made from those factors
Define plan
A proposed course of action designed to put the selected course into action in order to achieve the desired aim
Things to ask the complainant/ informant
- ID and location of suspect
- First hand account
- ID of victim
- Any other people
**In some circumstances a delay may occur between the initial report and police arriving at the scene. During this time, evidence may be lost or contaminated. In order to reduce the risk, the complainant may be asked to:
- Return and guard
- Not enter obvious boundaries
- Not touch or move anything
- Prevent others from entering or touching the scene
- Await police arrival and ID themselves
**Establish the victim’s medical status. Having ensured the safety of those present, the next priority is to establish the physical condition of the victim. This falls into one of three categories:
- Alive and uninjured
- Alive but injured
- Shows no signs of life
**What are the steps in preserving a scene
- Identify
- Secure
- Preserve
- Consider
- Record
What is a crime scene log?
Records the details, time and purpose of all persons who enter, attempt to enter or leave the crime scene, as well as any other activity around the crime scene which the scene guard perceives to be relevant to the case.
What is the purpose of the scene guard and log? Ensures
- There is no unauthorised entry into the scene
- Integrity of evidence or potential evidence is secured
- Intelligence opportunities maximised
- Contamination issues are managed
**How many crime scene logs should there be?
One per access point of the scene
Some witnesses have been so proximate to events that it is likely evidence was transferred to the witness from the victim
**The plan to preserve and recover evidence from a forensically important issue should consider these issues, where applicable:
- DNA swabs of areas of the witness that the suspect may have touched
- DNA swabs of blood present on the witness
- Immediate swabs of other relevant stains present on the witness
- Seizure of clothing and footwear
No matter what the circumstances of the death are, police’s purpose is always to:
Investigate thoroughly
Gather sufficient evidence to satisfactorily explain the circumstances of death
The circumstances to consider under 16(1) of the Evidence Act 2006
- Nature of the statement
- Contents of the statement
- Circumstances relating to the making of the statement
- Circumstances relating to the veracity of the person
