Investigation Flashcards
Working rules aka heuristics - working experience
Range of working rules investigators have depends on their personal working experience.
Unconscious nature of working rules
Working rules can become too familiar making it difficult when describing how a particular decision was reached.
Decisions refer as based on a hunch or common sense.
Nothing wrong with gut reactions however must be able to account to others such as victims witnesses, supervisors and other partners in criminal justice system.
Working rules aka heuristics - required knowledge
Appropriate & accountable decision making is based on an investigators knowledge of:
- The legal framework
- Characteristics of crime
- National policies and procedures
Making decisions
Good decisions are reached by a process of reasoning based on the following sequence:
- Acknowledge that a situation or problem exists in which it is reasonably necessary to make a decision. Ask.
- What is the problem here or what will be the problem soon? - Identify, isolate and analyse the problem clearly. Ask:
- what do I think the problem is?
- can I state it clearly to define it to others? (Eg in one sentence)
- what do I really know about it?
- Formulate a clear objective. Ask:
- what are we aiming to achieve here? - Gather all the data and information required to determine the ways in which the aim might be achieved.
- Draw up a list, based on the information, of all the possible ways in which the aim might be achieved.
- Weigh and study each of these alternatives individually. Ask:
- what are the possible results or consequences of each alternative ?
- what is the most appropriate means for reaching the objective?
- what are the best alternatives?
- Prepare a plan for putting the selected course in to action.
Working rules aka ‘heuristics’ - background
Investigators making decisions suggests they rely on a set of working rules aka heuristics developed from ‘on the job’ experience of conducting investigations & also learn working rules from colleagues.
Provide a ‘how we do things around here’ framework.
Investigative mindset
Disciplined approach to gathering, recording, retaining and presenting evidence.
Appreciations technique
Disciplined approach to decision making - the technique is instigated when the investigator identifies a question arising from a problem, issue or situation.
Appreciation technique steps
Step 1: Aim or objective
Step 2: Factors
Step 3: Courses open
Step 4: Plan
Step 1: AIM or OBJECTIVE
Short statement or intent beginning with a verb.
Consider what you will do to address the situation or problem and formulate an aim or objective.
Express aim/objective in definite terms .
Should be brief and to the point & there must only be one aim/objective.
Step 2: FACTORS
A statement or truth about some known influence or circumstance.
Identify and consider the factors that will affect your aim or objective.
Examine all the information with the situation or problem. This is called a risk assessment.
Identify what must be done to reduce risk and identify the resources you will require.
FACTORS often need to be considered in an investigation are.
The seriousness of the incident or offence.
The pattern of the incidents or offences
The time available
Possible suspects
Available witnesses
Material located to date
Policy and procedures required
Known history of the parties
Records that can be tapped
The weather at the time
Start with a FACT and ask the question?
So what? Eg what are the implications of the fact? Asking so what repeatedly helps to extract all information implied by a fact.
Step 3: COURSES OPEN
Options you can identify after having assessed the factors and deductions made from factors.
Eg factors - so what (he will leave the area)- therefore - courses open (Nia check / local knowledge check, media, bully board, Intel)
Step 4: PLAN
Select the most appropriate courses for attention and plan the action you can take.
Assess:
Is it more than likely to be effective?
Is it proportionate (effort,time, resource)?
Is it achievable?
Will it pass the self test?
Two forms of appreciation
Full appreciation
Short appreciation
Full appreciation
Used for high level or difficult tactical or administrative problems.
Short appreciation
Urgent or pressing problems that require immediate action. Or non urgent problems that are not complicated or complex. These are applicable to daily police duties.
Written appreciation & mental appreciation
Written Provides a record of decision making and shows why a course of action was taken. Used when.
Several points to be considered & danger of points being overlooked if they are not written down.
A clear picture of the situation is desired to present a logical argument that will carry conviction to a higher authority.
Factors affecting decision making
Individual bias - perception of people, places, situations.
Verification bias - decision that support a point of view, overlooking alternative lines of Enquiry.
Availability error - eg focussing on victims account (emotionally charged) and overlooking the collection of forensic evidence.
Investigative mindset
Attitude or state of mind that investigators adopt and develop over time. The values of respect, integrity and professionalism are inherent in the mindset.
Investigative mindset has four key areas of knowledge, understanding and skills in.
Core legislation
The characteristics of crime (nature of crime and criminal behaviour)
National policies and procedures
Investigative techniques
With an investigative mindset you will knowingly
Apply a principle approach to the collection and evaluation of material
Use logical and deductive reasoning technique to progress the investigation
Make investigative decisions appropriate to the case at stages throughout the investigative process
Evaluate and validate your decision making to others
Stages of criminal investigation
Two methods:
Reactive and proactive. The main difference is how they start.
Reactive = discovery of a crime
Proactive = Information or intelligence indicating that an individual or group is involved in criminal activity.
Often the two methods overlap.
Diagram 1: stages of criminal investigation
Instigation
Initial investigation
Investigative evaluation - further investigation
Suspect management - further investigation
Evidential evaluation
Charge
File preparation
Court
What is ‘MATERIAL’ ?
Substance of any kind, including information and objects, sounds and images, obtained in the course of a criminal investigation that has some bearing in any offence under investigation or any person being investigated, or surrounding circumstances of the case.
Sources of ‘MATERIAL’
Victims
Witnesses
Suspects
Locations, including scenes of crime and the victim/suspects premises
CCTV recordings, phone records, banking and credit cards records, intelligence databases.
Formats for ‘MATERIAL’ are
Statements
Documents
Reports
Physical exhibits such as weapons, clothing, stolen goods, biological or chemical material
Fingerprints
Images
Audio or video recordings
Diagram 2: material attrition
The total material generated by an offence
The material gathered by the police
The material that is admissible as evidence
Material generated by an offence
Aim to maximise the amount of material collected and then to closely examine the material for its possible use.
Starting an investigation asap after an offence occurs enhances the opportunity to gather the maximum amount of material.
Whether material becomes information, intelligence or evidence is dependent on the use of which it is put.