Part 9 Area canvass Flashcards
- What are the main objectives of an area canvass?
- identifying the offender
- identifying and locating evidence, such as vehicles, discarded clothing, weapons and other articles
- identifying witnesses
- gathering information
- What are the other benefits of conducting an area canvass?
- sightings of the victim or offender before or after the event
- sightings of relevant property or vehicles
- sightings of potential witnesses
- creating the opportunity for an early arrest through early identification of the offender
- obtaining key information to drive the investigation or develop lines of enquiry
- promoting awareness of significant occurrences
- eliminating unidentified vehicles or persons reported by other witnesses
- obtaining an accurate record of the local community
- When should a reconnaissance be conducted?
The o/c investigation, o/c area canvass and o/c suspects should attend the external general scene as soon as practicable, to make a reconnaissance of the area and conduct an appreciation and set the parameters and objectives of the canvass. This will also provide a clear perspective of the area, when it is referred to subsequently in statements and/or briefings
- What are the timings around the canvass phase?
An initial area canvass will normally be conducted when police first attend the incident. A formal area canvass will normally follow and re-visits are frequently required to capture persons who were not present during the earlier canvass enquiries.
In some cases, the area canvass should be conducted at the same time as the original offence occurred eg a homicide of a person in a park in the early hours of the morning
- Once the location parameters are set, intelligence systems should be analysed to establish whether there are any people or events in the area that may pose a risk to those carrying out the enquiries. What are those risks?
- violent offenders
- persons wanted by police for other crimes or wanted on warrant
- groups with particular linguistic or cultural needs
- local incidents or issues which residents may raise with police
- What resources should the OC area canvas seek that could be used to assist in the area canvass?
- street maps
- aerial photographs showing houses and the locations of sections
- geological information
- local council records
- other applicable references
Consideration can be given to open source - internet applications
- police Intel systems
- public libraries
- maps of NZ
A full assessment should be made of available resources, after which the resources and the area to be canvassed should be divided into manageable sections.
The o/c area canvass must plan a progressive canvass, completing priority areas first. All personal must be fully briefed, summarising the situation and detailing each employee’s duties and areas of responsibility, particularly in respect of the correspondence flow
- Why is it important for the o/c area canvass to keep staff moral high and how can they do this?
Keeping staff morale high is important as those conducting the enquiries may actually speak to a vital witness or even the offender. Keeping morale high can be achieved by providing regular feedback on the way the canvass enquiries are contributing to the progress of the investigation, together with updates on the progress being made with other phases of the enquiry.
Attention should be paid to the facilities provided for those involved and where possible, they should be included in the main briefings held for enquiry teams.
Canvass team members should be regularly visited during the area canvass to monitor welfare, maintain control, morale, enthusiasm and efficiency.
Logistical considerations such as toileting, meals and refreshments should be taken into account
- The o/c area canvass should keep up to date records of the areas canvassed, in addition the o/c should continually review completed canvass forms as they are submitted in order to what?
- evaluate the quality of completed work and provide quality assurance
- identify lines of enquiry to be highlighted to the 2IC
- monitor ongoing progress of the canvass
- facilitate the detailed recording of progress
A detailed master record of ongoing progress should be continually maintained and updated by the oc, showing
- which addresses have been visited
- which occupants interviewed
- the documentation completed and
- any relevant comments made
- What other approaches can the oc use if they decide to limit the extent of the area canvass?
Consideration of
- media
- poster campaign
- mail drop
- high profile police presence, using a caravan
may be used to complement door to door enquiries
- At the conclusion of the area canvass a thorough debrief must be carried out. What should be covered?
- key locations where door to door enquiries have been undertaken
- parameters of initial police activity
- what questions were asked and any perceived issues from the respondents
- what records have been completed
- who has been spoken to at what address
- whether personal descriptions been taken of persons seen
- whether NIA/Intel checks been completed in respect of persons seen
- relevant information provided by persons seen
- any intelligence obtained
- whether persons have a credible alibi
- whether witness interviews have been conducted and/or statements taken for persons providing evidence
- details/locations of vehicles owned by persons interviewed
- details of other persons who live or were present at the premises
- identity of any suspects
- details of premises where there was no response
- confirmation that all notebooks of staff members involved in the area canvass are accounted for
- whether any issues arose that could improve further performance in canvass enquiries
- At the conclusion of the area canvass the oc must submit a report to the oc investigation outlining what?
At the conclusion of the area canvass the phase OC must submit a report to the OC investigation outlining the circumstances of this particular aspect of the investigation. The report should include
- a summary of all actions taken
- any significant findings highlighted and
- attention drawn to any action that has been undertaken which was outside of the original phase strategy
- What is the purpose of an area canvass?
Links often exist between the scene of a crime and the offender, victim and witnesses. A methodically conducted area canvass presents a high likelihood of identifying or contacting the offender, an associate of the offender, significant witnesses, identifying evidence or exhibits and establishing significant facts.
The offender had to move into and out of the area around the scene in order to access the scene itself and it is not uncommon for the offender to reside within the canvass area. A canvass can identify witnesses to the movements of the offender before and after the offence occurred, as well as witnesses to the actual offence.
- Parameters for the area to be covered by the canvass must be adequate and relevant to achieving the investigation objectives, what relevant locations may influence the setting of location parameters
- scenes ie
- sites where victims, offenders or witnesses have been present
- sites where offences have taken place
- sites where vehicles, property or exhibits have been found - premises within the line of sight of scenes
- access and egress routes to and from scenes
- areas where an offender may have lain in wait
- location where the victim was last seen alive
- locations or premises frequented by the victim
- locations of similar or previous incidents identified by intelligence as having occurred in the same locality as the offence under investigation
