Serious Crime

Question 1

What are the initial police responders primary responisibilities? (3)

Answer 1

1. attending the scene at an early stage
2. taking control of the situation
3. co-ordinating the tasks

Question 2

What is TENR?

Answer 2

T - Assessment of the Threat being faced (Intent, Opportunity, Capability, Environment)

E - Consideration of the Exposure to the officer, police, the victim or the public

N - Consideration of the Necessity to intervene now, or a delayed response, or to take no action

R - The Response, based on a consideration of the Threat, Exposure and Necessity to act

Question 3

List 6 types of incidents notified to police that may not be initally identified as homicide.

Answer 3

1. missing person
2. unexplained death
3. report of violence where no fatalities are anticipated
4. hit and run vehicular collision
5. suicide
6. fatal fire

Question 4

What is vawseipo?

Answer 4

V - victim - id and locate

A - Appreciation - make initial appreciation

W - Witnesses - locate and contain witnesses

S - Scene - preserve, boundaries

E - Exhibits - note evidence and preserve

I - Ingredients - consider ingrendients of alleged offences

P - what powers available?

O - Offenders - id and apprehend suspects

Question 5

[Consider checklist for initial action at a serious crime

Question 6

Define: Appreciation

Answer 6

A proven method of problem solving where a series of steps are followed to ensure the optimum course of action is decided upon. It considers appropriate factors, weights benefits and risk of alternative solutions.

Question 7

List 6 benefits of an appreciation

Answer 7

1. Informs all Police what they are expected to achieve
2. Establishes a sequence of activities to be carried out
3. Manages risk
4. Reduces uncertainty
5. Eliminates duplication
6. Ensures nothing is overlooked
7. Effective use of resources.

Question 8

What are the steps in an appreciation?

Answer 8

1. Aim - must be clear, concise and accurate. short, one-line.
2. Factors - any circumstance or fact that could effect the aim. Ask ‘so what’ over and over.
3. Courses open - possible ways to achieve the aim. weight benefits/risks of each
4. Plan - clear and concise.

Question 9

List 6 things that should be obtained from an informant?

Answer 9

1. ID and location of the suspect
2. first hand account of what the informant knows
3. identity of the victim
4. full contact details of informant
5. details of actions taken by the informant and where they’ve been.
6. demeanour of the informant

Question 10

Should there be a delay in police attending the scene, what are 5 things the informant may be asked to do in the interim?

Answer 10

1. return and guard the scene if safe to do so
2. to not enter obvious boundaries of the scene
3. not touch or move anything
4. prevent others from touching or moving anything
5. await police arrival and ID themselves to first police at the scene

Question 11

What is the first priority when attending a scene?

Answer 11

Ensure the safety of the attending police members

Question 12

What are the 3 possible physical conditions of the victim?

Answer 12

1. alive and uninjured
2. alive by injured
3. shows no signs of life

Question 13

What steps should be followed at hospital if attending with a victim? (11)

Answer 13

1. medical opinion on victim’s current condition
2. seize clothing and possessions
3. establish victim’s ID
4. get pre-tranfusion blood sample
5. seize bandages used to cover gunshot wounds and record their position on the body
6. get firearm residue samples if firearm suspected
7. note and photograph any injuries
8. consider DNA swabs from victim if relevant
9. get details of people who visit the victim
10. conduct scoping interview. consider hearsay statement
11. prelim interview with emergency staff who treated the victim

Question 14

What steps should be taken if you discover a body? (13)

Answer 14

13/29 of part 1

Question 15

What steps should be taken if the victim shows no signs of life? (13)

Answer 15

1. ambulance/CPR. note body position if moved
2. remain with body until relieved
3. arrange doctor to provide life extinct (unless obvious)
4. treat the ‘victim’ as a scene
5. medical staff should leave clothes on the body
6. medical staff should leave medical items ‘in situ’
7. scoping interview with medical staff - actions, injuries and cause of death
8. if victim spoke to anyone before death and what was said?
9. record body position, lividity, injuries and clothing
10. record everything observed with all senses
11. record all exhibits
12. sketch a plan including position of body and exhibits
13. provide info to OC at an early stage

Question 16

What is the investigative mentality?

Answer 16

no matter what the circumstances are of a death - accidental, suicide, unexplained, workplace - police purpose is always to investigate thoroughly and gather sufficient evidence to satisfactorily explain circumstances of death

Question 17

The first step in Preserving a scene is to Identify. List the actions under Identity? (9)

Answer 17

1. gather information and carry out initial assessment of the scene
2. consider search and surveillance powers
3. Establish the ‘crime scene’. Extend it as wide as possible.
4. Establish CAP which avoids routes taken by the suspect/victim
5. consider ‘related’ scenes
6. what is happening at the scen and who is there?
7. note and record observations
8. establish HQ and arrival point
9. provide SITREP to comms

Question 18

The second step in Preserving a scene is Secure. List the actions under Secure (7).

Answer 18

1. consider s116 S&S12 to secure the scene
2. remove all persons from the scene while causing minimal disturbance.
3. establish cordon perimeter using police tape
4. brieft scene guards with clearly defined duties
5. set up Crime Scene Logs
6. Prevent unauthorised people from entering the scene
7. Prevent loss/damage to evidence caused by adverse factors such as weather or animals.

Question 19

The third step in Preserving a scene is Preserve. List the action under Preserve. (6)

Answer 19

1. Consider CAP
2. Record movements/actions in scene
3. Preserve scene and leave it ‘in situ’
4. Consider stepping plates
5. Be prepared to take immediate action if required to preserve evidence
6. Consider if initial photographs of scene and person present are necessary

Question 20

The fifth step in Preserving the scene (skipped the fourth one because it was very short) is Record. List actions under Record. (6)

Answer 20

1. Crime scene log should include movements, names, times and reasons for entry and exit
2. Record full notes of precise details of the scene, especially location of the victim.
3. Scene sketch
4. Photographs scene
5. ID anything that moved, noting original and eventual position
6. report this to OC

Question 21

What is the purpose of a crime scene log? (4)

Answer 21

to ensure:

• no unauthorised entry to the scene
• integrity of evidence is secured
• intelligence opportunites are maximised
• contamination issues are managed

Question 22

What are a scene guards duties? (10)

Answer 22

1. Secure scene - deny unauthorised persons access to the scene
2. record details - name/designation/authority to enter/purpose of entry/time of entry and exit
3. control movements - CAP
4. record movements of people and vehicles in scene log
5. brief others including OC
6. avoid disturbing the scene yourself
7. protect the scene
8. brief your replacement
9. do not discuss events with witnesses, the public or media
10. be courteous

Question 23

What are 6 of the minimum points that should established from a witness at the scene?

Answer 23

1. what happened
2. where the incident happened
3. when it happened
4. who was involved
5. descriptions of those present
6. what witness did

Question 24

The plan to preserve and recover evidence from a forensically important witness should consider these issues, where applicable: (6)

Answer 24

1. immediate DNA swabs of areas on witness that suspect may have touched
2. immediate DNA swabs of any blood present on witness
3. immediate DNA swabs of any other relevant stains on the witness
4. forensic medical examination
5. seizure of clothing and footwear
6. seizure of any items of property touched by the suspect.

Question 25

List the steps in obtaining key material from witnesses (8)

Answer 25

1. full details those present at scene
2. assemble people in clear area while police officer stays with them
3. isolate witness from one another
4. id witnesses and scope interview
5. establish whether people have left the scene
6. if witnesses have made calls from the scene then establish numbers, recipients, etc
7. record regos of nearby cars
8. seize relevant CCTV

Question 26

Outline the procedure for suspects at the scene (6)

Answer 26

1. separate suspects from others
2. Consider condition of suspect (drunk etc)
3. Ask them to remain and remove them from the scene as soon as possible
4. Cross-contamination - officer who hasn’t dealt with scene.
5. Consider searching suspect’s car/property and vicinity of the suspect for discarded property
6. Record everything the suspect says

Question 27

What needs to be briefed to the OC investigations from the officer initially in charge of the incident:

Answer 27

1. What has occurred?
2. What action has been taken?
3. What has not been done?
4. What needs to be done?

Question 28

Initial action at a serious crime:

before attending scene

Answer 28

1. Decisions must be driven by circumstances.
2. Obtain all available information.
3. Consider requesting the complainant to assist/observe, if safe to do so.
4. Make an appreciation of the incident.
5. Remember: Freeze, Control, Guard and Preserve.
6. Assess own safety and then preserve lives of others.
7. Identify and apprehend suspect(s).
8. Contain and control witnesses.
9. Preserve scene.

Question 29

Initial action at a serious crime:

en route to scene

Answer 29

1. Look out for the suspect.
2. Note /stop vehicles leaving the scene.
3. Prioritise tasks and assign duties, e.g. VOWES, i.e. Victim, Offender, Witnesses, Exhibits and (immediate) Scene.

Question 30

Initial action at a serious crime:

on arrival at scene

Answer 30

1. Update comms
2. Gather information and conduct a risk assessment / appreciation.
3. Ensure the safety of yourself, colleagues, victim and others.
4. Give a SITREP to Comms , and provide a Safe Forward Point, if necessary.
5. Establish a single clear common path into and out of scene.
6. Record relevant information.

Question 31

Initial action at a serious crime