Practicals Flashcards
SUSPECT ENQUIRIES IN RESPECT OF FIRES NOT INVOLVING EXPLOSIVES(ITS SEER IS ACE) I = FIRMPEC S = PEPACOMB
STEP 1 – Identifying suspects..
Fingerprints
Information from informants and witnesses
Info from fire crews on people who Regularly attend fires
Media response
Police resources i.e. Intel, Youth Aid
Enquiries at penal institutions, psychiatric hospitals, rehab centers and schools
Circumstances of the fire
STEP 2 – Investigate the suspects thoroughly and according to priority
STEP 3 – Possible suspects include..
Pyromaniac suffering from mental illness
Employee, to cover theft, forgery or false pretences
Pupil or ex-pupil (schools)
Aggrieved person suffering from jealousy, hatred, rage etc.
Criminal, to cover the traces of an offence or to intimidate other victims
Owner or occupier, for insurance fraud
Member of the Fire Service, for excitement or personal recognition
Business competitor, to disadvantage a rival
STEP 4 – Consider surveillance
STEP 5 – Complete enquiries to establish the suspect’s opportunity, motive, mens rea, connection with the scene and offence, character etc.
STEP 6 – Execute a search warrant in the presence of the suspect
STEP 7 – Interview the suspect and obtain a recorded statement covering the ingredients of the offence
STEP 8 – Consider a photo montage or ID parade
STEP 9 – Advise your supervisor
STEP 10 – Consider arresting the suspect
STEP 11 – Complete the correspondence and prosecution file
STEP 12 – Complete enquiries to corroborate or negate the suspect’s explanation.
INITIAL ACTION: What to ask the Fire Incident Controller (FA MASSIVE)
The state of the fire when Fire Service arrived
What appliances attended
Time and date of the call and the manner it was received
Alterations they have made to the scene i.e. forced open doors/windows
What info they have about the building’s security
Whether they think the fire is suspicious, and why
Their opinions of the informant
Details of people or vehicles acting suspiciously in the vicinity
What action they have taken, particularly in entering the building and ventilating it after the fire
EXTERNAL EXAMINATION (ANY PD SD)
The external examination takes into account:
Adjoining premises which often reveal
- accelerant containers
- attempts at forced entry
- broken windows
- forced doors
Nearby alleyways/streets/driveways
Yards and outbuildings of the fire effected property
Periphery of the structure itself
What Distance debris were scattered, particularly if drums or containers have exploded
Surrounding area of the involved premises may also reveal.. - Accelerant containers
- Contents of outbuildings missing
- Property run-down
- business appears to be struggling
Damaged structure itself may also reveal
- jemmy marks or other signs of forced entry
- window glass broken before the fire was
ignited
- burn patterns above doors and windows and V
shaped burn patterns on external cladding
The cause of the fire (A ARCTIC DUMDUM SHERIFF)
A - evidence of accelerants
A - signs that a heater, soldiering iron or other electrical appliance had been left on
R - unusually rapid spread or intensity of fire
C - signs of a crime had been committed. burnt to destroy evidence.
T - tampering with the alarm or sprinkler system
I - evidence of intentional interference
C - containers
D - traces in debris
U - uneven burning
M - multiple seats of fire
D - signs that windows and skylights were opened to create a draught
U - burning under or behind boards where the liquid has run though the cracks
M - misdirecting firefighters
S - smell
H - hindering access
E - evidence of explosives
R - evidence of intentional removal of valuable property, or substitution of property
I - Inconsistencies
F - signs that furniture was rearranged to create a fire base
F - foreign material and objects, such as screws/batteries, that might be part of a device
