role of oc suspects/responsibilities of oc suspects

Question 1

what is the purpose of the oc suspects

Answer 1

the oc suspects is responsible for supervising the members of the suspects team for the purpose of:

• obtaining information about suspects and persons of interest, as they are identified by the oc investigation
• thoroughly profile and investigate all suspects and persons of interest to enable the oc investigation to establish their involvement in the offence of eliminate them from the enquiry
• seeking advice to cover all ingredients of the offence
• mitigating and dealing with possible defences that may be raised, where appropriate
• provide a basis for further investigation

Question 2

determining status of the suspects is the responsibility of which investigation team member

Answer 2

the responsibility for determining the status of a person within the investigation whether a suspect, person of interest, witness or victim rests with the oc investigation

Question 3

what should the oc suspects initial briefing encompass

Answer 3

• circumstances of the offence including an analysis of the scene and witness evidence available
• full details of all persons of interest and any suspect, where the identity of suspects are known
• details of any descriptions of the suspect provided by witnesses
• whether any particular modus operandi/crime signatures have been identified

Question 4

what aspects might influence the setting of priorities

Answer 4

• the relative weight of evidence against a person or
• the likelihood of their leaving the area or
• particular urgency in solving the case or
• availability of staff

suspects must be investigated in order of priority

Question 5

provide briefings and debriefings

Answer 5

oc suspects phase must regularly debrief members on enquiries and results so that a constant flow of information is maintained between the members of the suspects team and other investigation staff

Question 6

understanding cross contamination

Answer 6

if more than one suspect is involved, an appreciation must be made regarding which staff are assigned to which suspect to seize clothing etc. officers involved must be aware of cross contamination issues and separate officers should be assigned to each suspect

suspects must be kept apart, including during travel or in cells, all clothing should be packaged labelled and sealed before transfer to oc exhibits

Question 7

what must the doctor do in a medical examination and what samples should a doctor take during a medical examination

Answer 7

• note any injuries such as scratches or bruises
• take samples identified as necessary by the oc investigation using a specialist medical examination kit:
• blood
• saliva
• head hair
• pubic and body hair
• fingernail scrapings
• swabs of suspects hands or other relevant areas
• swab the suspects hands for firearms residue using specialist firearms detection kit ASAP if firearm is involved in offence

the doctor should also provide a professional opinion regarding the condition of the suspect

Question 8

alibis

Answer 8

whenever an alibi is put forward by an offender it is the responsibility of the oc suspect to make thorough enquiries to determine the veracity of the alibi and to report the result of these enquiries to the oc investigation