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No stone left unturned to catch offenders in Notts

Posted on 25th January 2012 14:35

Every contact leaves a trace.

The traces left by a criminal at a crime scene - whether it’s a fingerprint, a drop of blood or a single strand of hair – can prove vital in identifying the offender and bringing them to justice.

Nottinghamshire Police’s Crime Scene Investigators (CSIs) are deployed every day to crime scenes across the county to recover fingerprints, DNA, or other evidence that could support a criminal investigation. 

Incidents vary from day-to-day incidents like car crime and burglary to more infrequent and shocking crimes like rape and murder.

CSIs gather evidence like strands of hair found at a scene. Other day-to-day items can also prove vitally important, like cigarette butts, chewing gum, drinking vessels and partially-eaten food.

Identifying the person who last came into contact with such items could quickly lead police directly to the offender. 

Philip Cotton, acting head of Scientific Support, says that CSIs have to be meticulous in their approach. 

He said: “Our CSIs have a wealth of experience and expertise. They see details that other people would miss – details which could mean the difference between catching an offender or them going free.

“They have many different instruments at their disposal but the fundamental tools a CSI needs are an open mind, their eyes and a decent torch.”

Preservation of a crime scene is cruicial in the early stages of an investigation. 

Mr Cotton added: “Whether it’s a burglary at someone’s house or a more serious offence, it is vital that the scene is preserved to protect evidence until we arrive. 

“There could be footprints in the garden for example, or blood on a broken window. We advise to protect the evidence and not to clear it away - this will ensure the best evidential opportunity for the detectives investigating the incident.”

One of the most important details for a CSI to establish is the offender’s point of entry. Working from the outside in, they search for any prints or DNA samples which could lead police to the offender.

Mr Cotton added: “Some fingerprints are visible because they are captured in a drop of blood or paint. For prints not visible to the naked eye, we use a special powder which attaches to the natural sweat and grease that transfers from our fingers onto surfaces.”

A CSI then gently dusts the powder onto the surface with a specially-made brush to unearth any fingerprints. A strip of adhesive tape is then used to lift the prints.

To find prints on absorbent materials like paper or wood, chemical processes are used to uncover the marks left behind in a fingerprint laboratory.

The marks are then photographed and handed over to staff in the Fingerprint Bureau. They carry out a search on a Home Office national police system called IDENT1, which contains the prints of around 8.5 million people.

Mr Cotton said: “About 34,000 sets of prints are processed in Nottinghamshire every year. On television, police do a quick search on a computer and their suspect is identified within seconds. In real life, it’s not as simple as several people are involved in processing evidence.

“This is a time-consuming process but at certain times it can be done very quickly to help investigations which are moving at a fast pace. The emphasis however is always on accuracy and efficiency.”

A fingerprint or DNA search may identify several people who could be a potential match and an expert will examine the samples very closely to determine which match is correct.

“Forensic investigations can be very costly, with some high-profile investigations costing tens of thousands of pounds for forensic analysis alone.

“But it can often yield quick and valuable results and we work tirelessly to provide value for money - our team is renowned for exploiting even the smallest of evidential opportunity.”

And offenders who believe they have escaped justice have been warned that their pasts will eventually catch up to them.

“There are currently around 2 million unidentified fingerprints in the UK. But even when we have unidentified prints, they can often lead to someone being linked to a crime many years later.

“Modern technology progresses every single day and we are using every tactic available to us to bring offenders to justice.”

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