What are the primary functions of the initial Police responders?
- Attending the scene at an early stage
- Taking control of the situation
- Co-ordinating tasks
What is the first thing to consider when undertaking a course of action at a serious crime scene?
Every person who undertakes a course of action at a serious crime scene must first consider what risks may exist.
The actions of the first responding Police have a critical effect on an investigation and on the potential for capturing evidence. List the points in the general investigation model, VAWSEEPO:
Victim - Identify and locate the victims
Appreciation - Make an initial appreciation of the incident. Assess personal risk then preserve the life of others
Witnesses - Locate and contain witnesses
Scene - Preserve the scene (e.g., set boundaries)
Exhibits - Note evidence and preserve any that would otherwise be lost or destroyed
Elements - Consider whether the ingredients of the alleged offence have been established
Powers - Identify what powers are available and consider whether to execute them
Offenders - Identify and apprehend suspects
What are four benefits of applying appreciation techniques?
- Informs all Police what they are expected to achieve
- Increases the chance of success, i.e., the investigative aims/objectives being met
- Establishes a sequence of activities to be carried out
- Manages risk
- Reduces uncertainty
- Eliminates duplication
- Ensures nothing is overlooked
- Effective use of resources
What are the steps to take when conducting an appreciation? AFCOP
Aim: An aim is a short (one line) statement which succinctly demonstrates a single objective.
Factors: A factor is any circumstance or fact that could possibly have an effect on the manner in which you will achieve your desired outcome.
Courses Open: Is a list of all the possible ways the aim could be achieved, bearing in mind the factors and the deductions made from those factors
Plan: Is a proposed course of action designed to put the selected course into action in order to achieve the desired aim
What are the two main purposes for Police attending the scene of any death?
- Is always to investigate thoroughly; and
- To gather sufficient evidence to satisfactorily explain the circumstances of the death
What information should you obtain from the informant/complainant as a priority?
- Identity and location of the suspect
- A firsthand account of what the complainant/informant knows
- Precise details of the location of the scene
- Circumstances leading to the discovery
- Identity of the victim
- Details of anyone else at the scene
- Full contact details of the complainant/informant
- Demeanour of the complainant/informant
- Relationship of the complainant/informant, to the victim or suspect
- Details of action the complainant/informant has taken and where they have been
- Details of any hazard or safety issues that may affect Police approaching the scene/victim
What can you ask of complainants/informants where there may be a delay in Police attendance?
- To return to the proximity of the scene, and guard it, if it is considered safe for them to do so
- Not to enter the obvious boundaries of the scene
- Not to touch or move anything
- To prevent others from entering or touching the scene
- To await Police arrival and identify themselves to the first Police at the scene
What should an officer who has initial contact with the complainant/informant take note of?
What the complainant/informant says, their demeanour, and clothing etc.
What are the first two priorities when conducting a risk assessment at the scene of a serious incident?
The first priority will always be to ensure the safety of the attending Police members.
Having ensured the safety of those present, the next priority is to establish the physical condition of the victim. This falls into three categories:
- Alive and uninjured
- Alive but injured
- Shows no signs of life
Upon arrival at a hospital, what steps should you follow in regard to the victim:
- Obtain a medical opinion as to the victim’s current medical condition.
- Seize the victim’s clothing and other possessions as evidence.
- Establish the victim’s identity.
- Obtain a pre-transfusion blood sample using Police Toxicology Kit containers (containers at hospitals may contain gel which can affect the results of any subsequent forensic analysis of the blood sample).
- Seize any discarded bandages used to cover gunshot wounds and record the position on the victim where each bandage had been applied.
- Arrange firearms residue samples in cases where firearm use is suspected, including from the victim of any apparent suicide involving a firearm.
- Note and photograph any injuries.
- Arrange DNA swabs to be taken from the victim’s skin, where they would be relevant to the particular circumstances of the case.
- Obtain details of any and all persons who visit or contact the victim.
- Conduct a scoping interview - consider recording an immediate statement if the victim may die.
- Conduct preliminary interviews with ambulance and emergency staff who treated the victim
Upon initial arrival at a scene, the victim shows no signs of life. What steps should you take?
- Consider calling an ambulance and resuscitation, if appropriate. If the victim has to be moved for this purpose, note the original body position and record any previous movements.
- Remain with the body until relieved by CIB or supervisor.
- Arrange a doctor to pronounce life extinct, unless death is obvious, i.e., a decapitated body or badly decomposed body.
- Treat the ‘victim’ as a scene (do not move the body unnecessarily).
- Instruct medical staff to leave clothes on the body.
- If medical treatment has been given then request that connecting tubes, needles, bandages and other medical items are left ‘in situ’.
- If possible, conduct scoping interviews with medical staff who treated the victim and establish their actions, apparent cause of death and injury type(s).
- Ascertain if the victim spoke to anyone before death and record what was said.
- Record body position, lividity, obvious injuries and clothing.
- Objectively record everything observed using all senses, including sight, sound, and smell. Include what is considered unimportant or non-evidential as after further investigation, such information may become relevant.
- Record all exhibits.
- Sketch a plan including the position of the body and position of exhibits.
- Provide full information to the OC Investigation, at an early stage.
Explain ‘common approach path’
A common approach path is path used for all movements in and out of the scene which avoids any route possibly taken to and from the scene by the suspects or victim.
It is a way in which to get from A to B in a crime scene with the least amount of disruption to the scene itself.
This will be the only way attending staff will travel once at or in the scene.
What action should interviewing Police take prior to interviewing witnesses at scenes? State the types of physical evidence that may be present on these witnesses.
Some witnesses have been so proximate to events, that it is likely evidence was transferred to the witness, from the victim, suspect or from the scene itself.
Before the witness being interviewed, a plan must be prepared to preserve and recover all available physical evidence from the witness, such as:
- Fibres
- Body fluids
- Glass or other material
Initial Police arrive at a stabbing incident where the victim has serious injuries and is anticipated to die. A verbal statement is taken from the victim. Under s18(1)(a) EA06, how can Police satisfy the statement as admissible?
The courts must be satisfied that both the content of the statement and the person who made it are reliable. Police taking the statement must therefore record any factors which demonstrate the reliability of the statement or its maker. The circumstances to consider under s16(1) of the EA06 include:
- The nature of the statement
- The contents of the statement
- The circumstances relating to the making of the statement
- Circumstances relating to the veracity of the person
- Circumstances relating to the accuracy of the observation of the person
Police who arrive at a serious crime scene should identify, secure, preserve, consider, and record the scene. What actions should Police take to preserve the scene upon initial arrival?
- Consider the best path into the scene
- Record any movements/action taken in the scene
- Preserve what is left there and leave it ‘in situ’. Ensure nothing is touched or moved. The scene must be kept in its original state
- If no immediate life is at risk, consider using stepping plates
- Be prepared to take immediate action to preserve and/or record evidence that may change if nothing is done. For example, rain may damage a footprint or bloodstain.
What action must Police staff at the scene of a serious crime take if the media are present?
If members of the media are present at the scene, keep them away from the immediate crime scene cordon and make no comment about the incident.
Consult with the OC Investigation on arrival and explain what has happened, identify media members and where they are located.
You are the first at the scene of a homicide and you are advised that the suspect is still present. What should be your first priority in relation to the suspect?
The identification, apprehension, and isolation of the suspect are a priority.
Locating the suspect quickly can provide the investigation with forensic and other evidence that may otherwise be lost.
You are the first at the scene of a homicide and you are advised that the suspect has been identified at the scene. What are the steps you should follow?
- Separate suspects from other persons at the scene
- Consider the condition of the suspect, whether they are injured, under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or suffer from a medical or mental impairment or other special consideration
- Ask them to remain at the scene and to co-operate with Police. As soon as possible, remove the suspect from the scene by consent or with lawful justification
- If the suspect refuses to co-operate, consider whether grounds exist to arrest them and what the most appropriate offence will be
- To prevent cross contamination issues, consider using officers who have not entered the scene to manage the suspect, if available
- Caution the suspect if required
- Consider searching the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle and belongings to prevent the disposal of evidence and for the searcher’s safety, pursuant to SASA 2012
- Consider searching the vicinity of the suspect and the area or route they are thought to have taken, in order to recover discarded or secreted evidence
- Note the suspect’s appearance and behaviour. For example, do they appear edgy, shocked, or agitated? Are their clothes ripped and/or stained?
- Record everything the suspect says and if appropriate, consider conducting a preliminary interview
- Whenever possible, interviewing of suspects should be recorded on video
- Brief the OC Investigation on their arrival, highlighting any significant risks surrounding cross-contaminating or movement within or near the scene
What are the duties of a scene guard?
- Deny any person access to the scene, unless they are expressly authorised by the OC Investigation, Crime Scene Co-Ordinator, or OC Scene
- Maintain a crime scene log and note for every person authorised to enter the scene
- Ensure everyone entering the scene is using the Common Approach Path and is supervised during the visit
- Record all movement and vehicle details to, from and near the scene, in the crime scene log
- Promptly communicate any relevant information received to the OC Scene or CSC
- Do not personally enter, contaminate or interfere with the scene
- Be vigilant for activity such as the presence of any animals which may feed on body tissue
- Remain on duty until relieved by the oncoming scene guard
- Brief the oncoming scene guard on all relevant matters and hand on the crime scene log
- Do not discuss events or the crime with witnesses, bystanders or members of the media
- Use tact and courtesy when dealing with civilian witnesses and crowds
- Report any actions taken to the OC Scene or CSC
Some incidents notified to the Police are not initially identifiable as a homicide. Such instances may include:
- Report of a missing person
- Sudden unexplained death of an infant
- Unexplained death
- Report of an abduction
- Report of violence where no fatalities are anticipated
- Crime scene without a body present
- Hit and run 1V
- Suicide
- Fatal fire
- Drug related deaths
