Summary Flashcards
What are the responsibilities of the O/C Body?
- Ensure death has been certified by a doctor
- Secure and Guard
- Record observations
- Record what actions have been taken regarding the body
- Note details of medical staff
- Sudden death procedures
Factors to consider when deciding when to move the body:
- Views of the pathologist
- Consultation with other relevant experts
- Requirement for any examination
- Best method and route
- Chain of custody
- Cultural considerations
Appreciation prior to post mortem
- ID of the body at the mortuary
- Authority from the coroner to conduct post-mortem
- Consultation with pathologist
- Safe custody of exhibits
- Identifying who should attend
Responsibilities of the O/C area enquiries:
- Reports to O/C investigation
- Ensure canvas is conducted thoroughly
- Ensure the canvas team remains focused and uses resources efficiently
What should an area canvas strategy address?
- Area canvas objective
- Location and time parameters
- Risk assessment
- ID suspect
- ID witnesses
- Resources
What might your appreciation process include in regards to an area canvas?
- The reasons the enquiries were made
- Locations involved
- Questions asked
- Staff involved
- Records kept
Purpose of O/C Exhibits:
- Maintaining exhibit management systems
- Maintain physical security
- Accurately recorded exhibits
- Availability of exhibits throughout court proceedings
O/C Exhibits responsibilities:
- Recovery
- Handling
- Labelling
- Storage
- Submission to experts
- Presentation in court
- Disposal
O/C Suspect responsibilities:
- Determine investigation priorities
- Provide briefing/debriefing
- IDing suspects
- Prepare descriptions
- Photo board
What are the 10 steps to be followed if a suspect is identified at the scene?
- Separate suspects
- Consider suspect injuries
- Ask to remain at scene and co-operate
- Consider grounds for arrest
- Prevent cross-contamination
- BOR
- Consider searching
- Note suspects appearance
- DVD interview
- Brief O/C investigation
After an arrest is made the O/C Suspect should
- Ensure suspects are isolated from each other
- Ensure BOR is given
- Consider executing search for evidence
Disclosure manager responsibilities:
- Provide initial disclosure
- Provide full disclosure
- Address requests for additional disclosure
- Complete disclosure index
- Review for relevance
- Get O/C approval
- Seek specialist advice
What are the 2 key tasks of any investigation?
- Gathering and Preserving evidence
- Accurate and detailed documentation
What are the requirements of the file manager in relation to setting up the investigation headquarters?
Liaise closely with 2IC to establish requirements including:
- Location
- Office support staff
- Transport
- Equipment
What are the main functions/role of the file manager?
- Establishing and maintaining the investigation headquarters
- Support 2IC
- Manage file relating to investigation
- Assist with preparation of file
- Assist with management of trial
Basic Principles underpinning all serious crime investigations:
- Appreciation Process
- Preserve Life
- Preserve Scene
- Identify and Apprehend Suspects
- Secure Evidence
- Identify Victim
Initial action to preserve a scene:
Identify (assessment, powers, path)
Secure (exercise power, secure, remove)
Preserve (best path, record)
Consider (Photos, persons)
Record (Crime scene log, sketch)
What is the definition of an Appreciation in relation to initial action at a crime scene?
An appreciation is a proven method of problem solving.
Steps to ensure the optimum course of action is decided upon.
Key factors to consider when deciding whether to bring in experts:
- Photographs
- Actions of first responders
- ID of body
- Timeframes relating to finding body
- Environmental factors
Primary role of O/C body during a post-mortem
Observe, document and deal with exhibits associated with the body
5 steps for O/C body on arrival at the mortuary:
Ensure mortuary staff do not wash the body
Ensure the body is labelled and secured in fridge
Retain any key used to secure the body
Ensure the body remains in its present condition
Arrange formal ID
How should the body be stripped at the mortuary?
- Stripped only in presence of pathologist
- Remove from fridge
- Remove from bag
- Seize and secure body bag
- Get photographer to take additional photographs
- Remove clothing and possessions
- Inventory
- Label
- Seal in separate bag
- Ensure no cross contamination
- Maintain security of body and exhibits
- Consider trace evidence
What should an initial witness assessment cover?
- Whether witness requires special consideration
- Availability of witness
- The optimum approach
What does the witness interview plan normally cover?
- Time and location of interview
- Amount of information to be disclosed
- Objectives
- Supporting the interview
- Structure
What is the chain of custody used to demonstrate?
The integrity and therefore admissibility of exhibits
Before any arrest, the OC suspect must consult the OC investigation to ensure:
- An investigator is appointed to be responsible for each suspect
- Discuss decision to prosecute
- Clarity on Police views on bail
- Authority to engage Crown
- Family of deceased are updated
Prior to interviewing a suspect the O/C suspect should:
- Liaise with O/C investigation regarding selection of interviewer
- Decide on appropriate mode of recording
- Ensure interviewer is fully briefed
- Ensure interviewer is familiar with procedures
- Consider if person requires special consideration
Reasons for withholding information:
- Prejudice the maintenance of law
- Likely to endanger the safety of any person
- Subject to Section 108 and 109 of the Evidence Act (undercover officers)
- Disclosure likely to facilitate the commission of another offence
- The information does not exist or cannot be found
