Forensics has come a long way in recent years – it’s not just
about fingerprinting these days (although that is still a major
part of the work they do). Forensic Investigations now includes
several smaller departments including High Tech Crime, CCTV, Crime
Scene Investigation and Imaging.
Head of Forensics Hugh Owen said: “We are there to support front
line officers. These days, without forensic evidence it is very
unlikely that a case will succeed.”
The Forensics department is made up of the following areas:
- Footwear Intelligence Unit
- Fingerprint Bureau
- Forensic Services
- Quality Management
- Crime Scene Investigation
- Imaging Unit
- CSI Level 2
- Chemical Treatment Laboratory
- Mobile Phones
- Hi-Tech crime
- CCTV
Footwear Intelligence Unit
Footprints can give vital evidence to help solve a case, and
Cheshire is developing its own in house expertise. Under the
National Footwear Mark Strategy the department build their own
‘reference database’ of offender marks against which they check
their crime scene marks, the same as they already do with
fingerprints. The Unit has recently been recognised by the National
Police Improvement Agency and Cheshire is one of the few forces to
awarded access to the National footwear Reference Collection
database.
Fingerprint Bureau
Fingerprints taken from suspects as they are brought into
custody are then checked against databases to check their identity
and to see if they match prints taken in unsolved crimes. They also
check prints picked up as evidence in crimes, to see if they match
any on our database. Checking fingerprints is a specialist job –
although the computers do a basic search, it is down to the keen
eyes and knowledge of the bureau staff to find an exact match. It’s
a time consuming job, yet every month the team of 15 deal with 250
crime scene jobs and process 2,500 sets of fingerprints. Using new
technology Crime Scene Investigators will now be able to send
fingerprints straight to the bureau in a matter of seconds.
Forensic Services
Forensic Services deals with all the Constabulary’s DNA issues.
They process all the DNA samples taken by the custody units,
administer any matches that are found on the national DNA database,
and then pass this information back to the Areas. More than 13,000
DNA samples and 5,000 individual exhibits pass through the
department every year. Cheshire is part of collaboration between 14
Forces to reduce the amount spent on forensic submissions, and so
far a quarter of a million pounds has been saved through this.
Quality Management
In the forensic world quality is everything, and that’s why the
Bureau has its own quality management team to make sure this
remains the case. Cheshire’s Forensic Department is ahead of most
other UK Forces, and was only the second to get ISO 9001
accreditation. ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard
for an organisation's internal Quality Management.
Crime Scene Investigation
Without its dedicated Crime Scene Investigators (CSIs) to gather
the evidence, the Forensic Unit would have nothing to work with.
Cheshire has six CSI offices.
Successes in recent operations are down to DNA hits, fingerprint
identifications and other forensic related crime detections and
could not have been achieved without the team of dedicated CSI's
that exist across the whole force.
Imaging Unit
The photographers and technicians within the imaging unit work
with their cameras and other equipment in a variety of different
ways – from capturing crime scenes to taking public relations
shots. They also produce e-fits to help track down suspects. The
team can now also offer 360 degree photography of crime scenes for
use as evidence in court
CSI Level 2
As well as gathering evidence, CSIs can help covert teams to do
their work. An example might be that officers have learned a drug
deal will take place in a particular room. Before the meeting the
CSI will go into the room, and using the covert techniques they
have been trained in, “clean” it fully without leaving a trace they
have been there. After the meeting they will then be able to go in
and pick up the forensic evidence left by those involved, without
fears that it might be “contaminated” by anyone who had used the
room previously.
Chemical Treatment Laboratory
Most well known for enhancing fingerprints which might otherwise
be lost or unrecognisable, the team has also developed a DNA
procedure to swab items prior to chemical treatment.
Mobile Phones
The in-house investigation of mobile phones has continued to be
extremely successful and an asset to the organisation. This year
the unit has seen a 59% increase in cases submitted for
examination, which totals some 1022 handsets with associated SIM
cards and memory cards.
Hi-Tech crime
The High Tech Crime Unit has grown considerably with the
explosion in home computing over the past 10 years and all the
crime that has come with it.
The expertise of the staff within the unit is incredible. One of
the latest technological changes is the use of satellite navigation
systems in cars. The Unit is developing expertise in extracting
information from these systems and has already had some success in
operations where they have been used.
The Hi-Tech crime team work with the E-Forensics and the
Computer Investigation departments to achieve their objectives.
CCTV
Although closed circuit television monitoring of premises has
been around for 40 years, it is only in the last decade that use of
cameras to keep an eye on the public has exploded.
CCTV footage retrieval is seen as vital work within the Force.
The recent purchase of four dedicated Video Forensic workstations
will increase the Units capacity to Process, Enhance and Output
Video evidence in a professional and timely manner.