Explain The Stages Of Crime Scene

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Stages of crime scene Stage 1: Initial assessment A first attending officer (FAO) will arrive at the crime scene first, which is normally a police officer. The FAO will immediately isolate the scene away from the public by securing the scene with barrier tape. This is called cordoning - marking off boundaries, so that there is no contamination to the scene and evidence. The FAO will assess the scene to confirm whether a crime has taken place and if assistance is required. Any potential forensic evidence, witnesses and suspects will be searched for and possibly arrested by the FAO if still present at the scene. (Frances Annets, 2010) The scene of crime officer (SOCO) will then re-assess the crime scene forensically. This will involve them to:…show more content…
cigarette ends, cans, bottles, and tools), Assess: the recovery techniques required, and Assess: any specialist equipment/support needed) Identify any items that may have been left at the scene by suspect/s” (Investigating a Crime Scene - 2 - Assessing the Crime Scene - Forensic Courses, CSI Courses, Corporate Training, and Events for the Professions, Educators and the Public, 2015) Access to the crime scene will be controlled, this could be by the police. Only access should be given to authorised personnel, such as SOCOs, police officers, fire brigade and paramedic staff. Before anyone can enter the crime scene, they will have to complete the crime scene entry log, which requires their name, role, reason for entry, time of entry and exit etc. Below is an example of a crime scene entry…show more content…
Details of the photos will be recorded onto the photograph log. Continuity and chain of evidence - Evidence that will be given to the court must be recorded and documented (notes, sketches, photographs) with details of the procedures used. Also, there should be a log recording the people who had the evidence in their possession throughout the investigation. Both recordings make the chain of continuity. Intensive scene survey - After the crime has been recorded, the SOCO can then search for evidence at the scene intensively. There are four main search patterns: spiral - searching from the centre and working to outer area or searching from the outside towards the centre, grid - searching the scene across and up, parallel - searching the scene horizontal / across, zone - splitting the scene into a grid and searching each area of the box using the spiral, grid or parallel. When an evidence is found, the evidence is recorded in notes, in the evidence form and evidence log, and photographed and recorded in the photograph log. In order to confirm that every evidence, notes, sketch and photograph are taken into account and recorded, they will be recorded onto an inventory

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