Crime Scene Preservation

At every crime scene there will be a team put together to do specific jobs. There will always be a team leader or senior investigations officer, this individual will assume control of the other members within the team. The main responsibility of the team leader is to do an initial walkthrough the scene to ensure the security and safety, this includes any evidence and other members of the team.

Another role is the individual who records any evidence found at the crime scene. This person must take the correct pictures of significant evidence before it is bagged for collection, evidence recorders must then describe the location of individual pieces of evidence, the time it was found and make sure when bagging to maintain maximum integrity.

Crime

It is important to establish if a victim may need medical assistance, do not assume they will not. It is essential that all personnel are aware of the importance of scene preservation and the actions they need to take to ensure that any subsequent scene examinations are not compromised. It is recognised that in times of heightened security, immediate follow-up actions may not be carried out without endangering of police, other security and support services. The safety of all police personnel and the public is another primary objective. Sometimes however, in a normal policing environment there should be no unnecessary delay in the response to the attendance and preservation of a serious crime

Forensic evidence may be damaged by the lack of basic scene preservation procedures. It is therefore essential that police have an awareness of the areas where and what evidence can be found. It is vital to protect serious crime scenes immediately upon arrival by taking firm and active steps to prevent unnecessary and unauthorised entry. These instructions cannot cover duties and procedures for every eventuality but outline the general procedures to be followed at each stage of an investigation.

Initial Action by Police

Where death or life threatening injury is reported and circumstances appear criminal, unexplained or suspicious, always approach as a potential murder until the evidence proves otherwise. In cases of murder, a SIO, must be immediately tasked to the scene. For all cases that appear suspicious, district protocol should be followed re tasking of supervisory officers to ensure an effectively managed investigation.

The first police at the scene should not terminate duty unless spoken to by Detectives or released by the SIO.

It is important to establish following the report of a potential murder whether the victim may still be alive and that medical assistance has been