In investigations,
the members of the investigation teams roles and responsibilities vary on the
type of investigation but all of their roles have a crucial importance and
interlink together to come to a conclusion in a case. They are all present in different
parts of the investigation process and in the courtroom to come to an overall
conclusion. In this page I will be talking about the different teams involved in a case and how these teams were used in the Sion Jenkin's case.
The Police
In criminal cases, police officers are mostly, a mandatory part of the investigation team and have varied range of roles and key responsibilities. Their first role would be to answer the 999 call and asses the crime being reported to them and whether it is necessary to send out officers to the scene. If they regard the phone call as a ‘prank’ or not police worthy, officers would not be sent out. However, if they deem the call genuine and the person needs assistance, appropriate help will be sent out. Another responsibility the police now have if the call is genuine, is protecting anyone involved in the crime that has been a victim or been affected by the crime, for example in hostage situations, it would be the polices job to do their best to protect the hostages as well as apprehend the criminal. The quicker the call is received, depending how serious the crime is, the police will try to get their as quick as they can to help the victim, hopefully being able to locate the suspect faster and find and interview any witness’s. The police must ask the victim (if possible) or any witness a series of questions to compile information which must be wrote down and reported in order for it to be used as quality evidence in court. As well as interviewing, if the scene needs securing, the police can do this to prevent destruction of evidence. The importance of the police securing the scene is a top priority as they need to preserve all the evidence to the best of their ability so none is overlooked by scenes of crimes officers and that the evidence is not discarded in court which can potentially lead to the acquittal of a guilty party. The police have a duty to act in a certain manor on the scene and to the people involved, at a murder scene they must prevent anyone from entering the scene and seeing the body as well as being compassionate to the family/friends affected by it. Or if a criminal is still present at the scene, the police will be more stern and to an extent, violent with them to apprehend them and show that they are the authority. As we know, different criminal investigations require different member of an investigation team who conduct different roles that relate to the case. Police our always the starting point of an investigation as the crimes are always reported by the 999 call, whether the type of crime lays in police jurisdiction, they will assess this. In the Sion Jenkins case, a police officer PC Bruce was first to attend and upon arrival at the scene, he interviewed Sion, but did not note down the answers received until 3 days later. This proved a critical mistake as this evidence was discarded in court. The reason this evidence was removed is because PC Bruce recalled the event from memory, which is not a reliable source.
In criminal cases, police officers are mostly, a mandatory part of the investigation team and have varied range of roles and key responsibilities. Their first role would be to answer the 999 call and asses the crime being reported to them and whether it is necessary to send out officers to the scene. If they regard the phone call as a ‘prank’ or not police worthy, officers would not be sent out. However, if they deem the call genuine and the person needs assistance, appropriate help will be sent out. Another responsibility the police now have if the call is genuine, is protecting anyone involved in the crime that has been a victim or been affected by the crime, for example in hostage situations, it would be the polices job to do their best to protect the hostages as well as apprehend the criminal. The quicker the call is received, depending how serious the crime is, the police will try to get their as quick as they can to help the victim, hopefully being able to locate the suspect faster and find and interview any witness’s. The police must ask the victim (if possible) or any witness a series of questions to compile information which must be wrote down and reported in order for it to be used as quality evidence in court. As well as interviewing, if the scene needs securing, the police can do this to prevent destruction of evidence. The importance of the police securing the scene is a top priority as they need to preserve all the evidence to the best of their ability so none is overlooked by scenes of crimes officers and that the evidence is not discarded in court which can potentially lead to the acquittal of a guilty party. The police have a duty to act in a certain manor on the scene and to the people involved, at a murder scene they must prevent anyone from entering the scene and seeing the body as well as being compassionate to the family/friends affected by it. Or if a criminal is still present at the scene, the police will be more stern and to an extent, violent with them to apprehend them and show that they are the authority. As we know, different criminal investigations require different member of an investigation team who conduct different roles that relate to the case. Police our always the starting point of an investigation as the crimes are always reported by the 999 call, whether the type of crime lays in police jurisdiction, they will assess this. In the Sion Jenkins case, a police officer PC Bruce was first to attend and upon arrival at the scene, he interviewed Sion, but did not note down the answers received until 3 days later. This proved a critical mistake as this evidence was discarded in court. The reason this evidence was removed is because PC Bruce recalled the event from memory, which is not a reliable source.
FAO
When the first officer arrives on the scene, they are known as FAO’s (first arriving officers), they must secure the scene and prevent anyone from entering who is an unauthorised person. They do this using police provided tape which is used to tape around the perimeter making a barrier or they will set up a white police tent over the area if it is raining or of bad weather to prevent water washing anything or blowing anything away. The procedures are taken to prevent contamination of evidence at the earliest stage to make sure the case receives the best results in court. Another reason why unauthorised people are prevented from walking through the scene is to stop them leaving anything behind like a foot print that could wrongly be collected leading back to an innocent person. They must document all of this and anyone who enters for use of proof in court and so the prosecution service can develop a substantial case against the accused in court because the judge and jury will know all procedures were carried out correctly and the evidence is solid. The FOA and Police have very similar jobs and responsibility as they both can cordon off the scene and protect anyone who needs help. FAO’s roles depend on the crime that has been committed, if a crime had occurred and the police had caught the suspect on scene then there would be no need for a FAO however if crime had took place and the criminal was not caught then it turns into an investigation and a FAO is needed.
In the case of Sion Jenkin’s, PC Bruce was the FAO on scene
and followed out the role of cordoning off the scene and interviewing Sion,
however did not document the interview which lead to the discarding of this
evidence.
SOCO
A scenes of crime officer arrive after the FAO and do a much more in depth investigation of the scene than FAO and other officers do. They need to protect and make sure the scene is cordoned off to the highest possible standard before they start their investigation. Again this is to ensure there is no contamination of evidence thus destroying it or limiting its validity in court. The SOCO officer will then speak to officers to assess what crime has taken place if it is not apparent, and any other key information that will help them to locate any key evidence and not overlook something they need that blends in with the natural environment. Doing this will help them to not collect any unrelated evidence and prevent overlooking actual evidence which also speeds up the process when they know what to look for. SOCO’s can investigate methods of analyse when it comes to evidence and collect it in certain ways to separate it from each other and label it so when it comes to analysing it, it is all organised and packaged correctly. Certain SOCO officers must also take photographs of the scene or video the scene so the scene can be re-enacted in years to come if need be, and to validate the evidence collected from the scene. This is a good procedure to carry out as if the case is looked over again, with the technology advancing at the rate it is in the police then it means more evidence can be found. They have a variety of evidence they can collect if it’s available to them, for example, biological evidence like footprints, fingerprints or blood that can be linked to the scene and a suspect or anyone involved and can place them at the scene of the crime which leads to a new lead for the detectives to investigate. This kind of evidence is crucial as if collected properly, the CPS can compile such a strong case, it can lead to a conviction. They also need to collect the evidence in the correct packaging and send it to forensic laboratory. During the investigation they have to keep documentation or updates of new evidence they find or information for further evidence, without this part of the investigation team, the begging of the investigation does not start and detectives and police cannot continue the investigation to full as there is no evidence. Scenes of crime officers aren’t always needed in a case as sometimes investigations aren’t needed. If a crime has been committed and the criminal is caught or hands himself in, there is no need for this part of the investigation team, if there has been a break in or a murder and the criminal is on the loose, a SOCO team would be called in.
A scenes of crime officer arrive after the FAO and do a much more in depth investigation of the scene than FAO and other officers do. They need to protect and make sure the scene is cordoned off to the highest possible standard before they start their investigation. Again this is to ensure there is no contamination of evidence thus destroying it or limiting its validity in court. The SOCO officer will then speak to officers to assess what crime has taken place if it is not apparent, and any other key information that will help them to locate any key evidence and not overlook something they need that blends in with the natural environment. Doing this will help them to not collect any unrelated evidence and prevent overlooking actual evidence which also speeds up the process when they know what to look for. SOCO’s can investigate methods of analyse when it comes to evidence and collect it in certain ways to separate it from each other and label it so when it comes to analysing it, it is all organised and packaged correctly. Certain SOCO officers must also take photographs of the scene or video the scene so the scene can be re-enacted in years to come if need be, and to validate the evidence collected from the scene. This is a good procedure to carry out as if the case is looked over again, with the technology advancing at the rate it is in the police then it means more evidence can be found. They have a variety of evidence they can collect if it’s available to them, for example, biological evidence like footprints, fingerprints or blood that can be linked to the scene and a suspect or anyone involved and can place them at the scene of the crime which leads to a new lead for the detectives to investigate. This kind of evidence is crucial as if collected properly, the CPS can compile such a strong case, it can lead to a conviction. They also need to collect the evidence in the correct packaging and send it to forensic laboratory. During the investigation they have to keep documentation or updates of new evidence they find or information for further evidence, without this part of the investigation team, the begging of the investigation does not start and detectives and police cannot continue the investigation to full as there is no evidence. Scenes of crime officers aren’t always needed in a case as sometimes investigations aren’t needed. If a crime has been committed and the criminal is caught or hands himself in, there is no need for this part of the investigation team, if there has been a break in or a murder and the criminal is on the loose, a SOCO team would be called in.
In the Sion Jenkin’s case, PC
Bruce was part of the SOCO team as he cordoned off the scene and prevented
anyone from entering the scene who was not authorised to do so. Two other
forensic scientists who were apart of the SOCO team were Mr. Webster and Mr.
Morkirdy. These men assessed the crime scene where Billie Jo was found, and
took pictures of the weapon next to her body, where her body was positioned and
the garden where she was painting the fence. A tent was also set up outside to
prevent the weather conditions contaminating evidence in the garden, and tape
at the front of the house.
Forensic Scientists
Forensic scientists must analyse a crime scene and look for any evidence that can be used for a conviction against a suspect in court and can tell them what kind of incident has occurred. The look for evidence like fingerprints and footprints. From this, they use it to try and identify the people present at the crime scene which then they relay the information they find to detectives involved in the case so they can follow up leads. All the work they do in this stage is highly beneficial in a case, especially in a murder case where they find a potential weapon with blood on it, this will then become what they think was used to commit the murder and they then know what kind of crime they are dealing with and they can search for finger prints on it to help place someone at the crime or who committed the crime. The science that the forensics use to analyse evidence is also a crucial responsibility they have, as well as using the information from the police officers and FAO’s to help recreate the scene to get a good grasp on what they’re looking for, how to analyse it accordingly to use in court. This part of the investigation team is different to the other as they do not have to liaise with any witness’s, they are there purely to analyse the crime. So just like the SOCO officers they are only needed in crimes where further analyse is needed. Forensics are brought in by detectives to find the evidence and help them develop leads since the overall case is inspected by the detectives.
Forensic scientists must analyse a crime scene and look for any evidence that can be used for a conviction against a suspect in court and can tell them what kind of incident has occurred. The look for evidence like fingerprints and footprints. From this, they use it to try and identify the people present at the crime scene which then they relay the information they find to detectives involved in the case so they can follow up leads. All the work they do in this stage is highly beneficial in a case, especially in a murder case where they find a potential weapon with blood on it, this will then become what they think was used to commit the murder and they then know what kind of crime they are dealing with and they can search for finger prints on it to help place someone at the crime or who committed the crime. The science that the forensics use to analyse evidence is also a crucial responsibility they have, as well as using the information from the police officers and FAO’s to help recreate the scene to get a good grasp on what they’re looking for, how to analyse it accordingly to use in court. This part of the investigation team is different to the other as they do not have to liaise with any witness’s, they are there purely to analyse the crime. So just like the SOCO officers they are only needed in crimes where further analyse is needed. Forensics are brought in by detectives to find the evidence and help them develop leads since the overall case is inspected by the detectives.
As mentioned previously, the
scientists involved in my case were Mr. Webster and Mokirdy. They analysed the
scene and looked for evidence. The first piece of evidence they collected was
an 18 inch tent peg covered in blood next to Billie’s body (the murder weapon).
However no finger prints were found on it, The second piece of evidence that
was later found under inspection, was the 186 microscopic blood droplets on
Sions jumper. From this evidence they re-enacted the crime to try and replicate
the spatter, and when they could, this evidence was used to convict Sion in
court. He appealed against this and aerosol chemists researched in how this
could of happened when Sion was tending to Billie, and found that the clog of
blood in her lungs could of shifted when Sion tilted her head relieving the
pressure.
Aerosol Chemist
An aerosol chemist is like a forensic scientist but they specialise in solids or liquid particles found in different types of gasses. They look at many different gases and how the move in relation to other objects. Their main role is to identify how gases have been used. This can relate to forensic evidence which involves solid or liquid gases and they can help forensics understand how chemical reactions have occurred, or explosions. Where aerosol chemists are applicable to a case, they can help draw links in parts of the case and evidence collected and also help presenting evidence in court by giving their professional opinion and explanation. Because they specialise in a certain area, they are not needed for every investigation as their skills would be wasted. In the Sion Jenkins case, A. Chemist, Mr. Moaghey was brought in to see if the spatter found on Sions jumper was from impact spatter when Billie was attacked. He experimented with a pig and re enacted the attack and found near enough the same impact spatter. When Sion appealed this, a surgeon came forward and said the spatter was pressure asphyxiation from when he moved Billi’s body to tend to her. Sion was released after five years due to the surgeons professional opinion.
An aerosol chemist is like a forensic scientist but they specialise in solids or liquid particles found in different types of gasses. They look at many different gases and how the move in relation to other objects. Their main role is to identify how gases have been used. This can relate to forensic evidence which involves solid or liquid gases and they can help forensics understand how chemical reactions have occurred, or explosions. Where aerosol chemists are applicable to a case, they can help draw links in parts of the case and evidence collected and also help presenting evidence in court by giving their professional opinion and explanation. Because they specialise in a certain area, they are not needed for every investigation as their skills would be wasted. In the Sion Jenkins case, A. Chemist, Mr. Moaghey was brought in to see if the spatter found on Sions jumper was from impact spatter when Billie was attacked. He experimented with a pig and re enacted the attack and found near enough the same impact spatter. When Sion appealed this, a surgeon came forward and said the spatter was pressure asphyxiation from when he moved Billi’s body to tend to her. Sion was released after five years due to the surgeons professional opinion.
Pathologist
A pathologist is used in an investigation to assess dead bodies in order to identify them, how they died and if there’s any clues on them to link to how they died or where and when. For example, looking at certain wounds, chemicals in the blood stream, air passage blockages or how the body has deteriorated. This can help SOCO’S and scientists know what evidence to look for like weapons or chemicals. This helps link forensic evidence to the crime and make the investigation more beneficial and quick. From the autopsy results, conducted by a pathologist, this evidence can be given in court. A pathologist is only needed in investigations when someone has died or been killed as they cannot speak for themselves as to what happened. A pathologist wouldn't be needed in other crimes, such as muggings, as that person will be able to tell the police what happened and if any injuries occurred, hospital doctors can look at them. Pathology can link in nicely with evidence collected, for example, if someone was found dead with drugs by them, pathologists can say if this person died from an over dose or was taking drugs. In the Sion Jenkin’s case, pathologist Dr. Hill conducted the autopsy and he analyses Billie’s body and came to the conclusion that she was bludgeoned to death by the tent peg that forensic scientists found.
A pathologist is used in an investigation to assess dead bodies in order to identify them, how they died and if there’s any clues on them to link to how they died or where and when. For example, looking at certain wounds, chemicals in the blood stream, air passage blockages or how the body has deteriorated. This can help SOCO’S and scientists know what evidence to look for like weapons or chemicals. This helps link forensic evidence to the crime and make the investigation more beneficial and quick. From the autopsy results, conducted by a pathologist, this evidence can be given in court. A pathologist is only needed in investigations when someone has died or been killed as they cannot speak for themselves as to what happened. A pathologist wouldn't be needed in other crimes, such as muggings, as that person will be able to tell the police what happened and if any injuries occurred, hospital doctors can look at them. Pathology can link in nicely with evidence collected, for example, if someone was found dead with drugs by them, pathologists can say if this person died from an over dose or was taking drugs. In the Sion Jenkin’s case, pathologist Dr. Hill conducted the autopsy and he analyses Billie’s body and came to the conclusion that she was bludgeoned to death by the tent peg that forensic scientists found.
Detectives
Detectives are involved in cases in which investigation needs to happen. They are the main investigators and investigate the whole crime to find out the most information that they can in order to solve it and find the criminal. They liaise with everyone involved in the investigation to come up with leads to take the case in a different direction in hopes of finding the criminal or indentifying new links. A detective will be given the responsibility of giving testimonies in court as a witness as presentation of evidence. They will also use the evidence and information they have to make an overall judgement on a case and come to a conclusion on who in responsible and will use all the links they have acquired through the investigation process to achieve this conclusion. During the investigation and after they also offer help to any one affected by the crime, like counselling services. The detectives work closely with other members of the investigation to receive their information for the investigation to receive maximum benefit. Detectives aren’t always needed in a case, for example, if the criminal admitted to the crime or was caught relatively quickly/on scene then there wouldn’t be a need for them. The amount of detectives also varies from cases, if it is a local case that is relatively small, then only one detective may be needed, but on high profile cases that are global, like the Mccan case, there is many detectives involved. In the Sion Jenkins case, 4 different detectives were involved, they were Steve Hutt, Tracy Christmas, Anne Capon and Paul Hilton. These detectives made links within the investigation to potential suspects and in a few years later, made more links to another man thought to be a potential suspect called Antoni who was thought to be stalking Billie, and fitted the profile as well as other contributing factors. They found this out by talking to friends of Billie.
Detectives are involved in cases in which investigation needs to happen. They are the main investigators and investigate the whole crime to find out the most information that they can in order to solve it and find the criminal. They liaise with everyone involved in the investigation to come up with leads to take the case in a different direction in hopes of finding the criminal or indentifying new links. A detective will be given the responsibility of giving testimonies in court as a witness as presentation of evidence. They will also use the evidence and information they have to make an overall judgement on a case and come to a conclusion on who in responsible and will use all the links they have acquired through the investigation process to achieve this conclusion. During the investigation and after they also offer help to any one affected by the crime, like counselling services. The detectives work closely with other members of the investigation to receive their information for the investigation to receive maximum benefit. Detectives aren’t always needed in a case, for example, if the criminal admitted to the crime or was caught relatively quickly/on scene then there wouldn’t be a need for them. The amount of detectives also varies from cases, if it is a local case that is relatively small, then only one detective may be needed, but on high profile cases that are global, like the Mccan case, there is many detectives involved. In the Sion Jenkins case, 4 different detectives were involved, they were Steve Hutt, Tracy Christmas, Anne Capon and Paul Hilton. These detectives made links within the investigation to potential suspects and in a few years later, made more links to another man thought to be a potential suspect called Antoni who was thought to be stalking Billie, and fitted the profile as well as other contributing factors. They found this out by talking to friends of Billie.
CPS
This is the crown prosecution service who work to prosecute criminals in court by getting a guilty verdict. The work along side with the police to make sure they get an accurate conviction. Their main role is to the correct evidence is taken to court and put together a case of all the evidence to present in court to the jury. This is a very important role as if this is not carried out correctly it can lead to an acquittal in court of a guilty party. They must also make sure that people understand the rules when prosecuting someone. CPS are only needed when a case goes to court with an accused party, as they need to compile a case against them so the jury can make a verdict. The CPS in other countries is different to England’s and Wales so their roles may vary. The CPS’s role remains the same in every case. When Sion Jenkins went to court, the CPS made up of 8 men and 4 women convicted Sion, with a Guilty verdict at Lewes Crown Court.
This is the crown prosecution service who work to prosecute criminals in court by getting a guilty verdict. The work along side with the police to make sure they get an accurate conviction. Their main role is to the correct evidence is taken to court and put together a case of all the evidence to present in court to the jury. This is a very important role as if this is not carried out correctly it can lead to an acquittal in court of a guilty party. They must also make sure that people understand the rules when prosecuting someone. CPS are only needed when a case goes to court with an accused party, as they need to compile a case against them so the jury can make a verdict. The CPS in other countries is different to England’s and Wales so their roles may vary. The CPS’s role remains the same in every case. When Sion Jenkins went to court, the CPS made up of 8 men and 4 women convicted Sion, with a Guilty verdict at Lewes Crown Court.
T
Judge
The judge is the main point of authority in court during prosecution and decides on a sentence for the criminal after they’ve be found guilty. They need to assess the case being presented and all of the evidence to come to a conclusion. They decide on if the evidence is sufficient enough to accuse someone of being guilty and to maintain control in the court room. The judge is separate from the investigation team and only role is to make an overall decision from the presented evidence collected by the investigation team. A judge is present at every trial that goes to court and the decisions he/she makes depend on how serious the case is. The judge that sentenced Sion Jenkins is unknown but he was prosecuted by the CPS and the judge sentenced him to life in prison. He was imprisoned for 6 years until he appealed in 2004 and was released on insufficient evidence.
The judge is the main point of authority in court during prosecution and decides on a sentence for the criminal after they’ve be found guilty. They need to assess the case being presented and all of the evidence to come to a conclusion. They decide on if the evidence is sufficient enough to accuse someone of being guilty and to maintain control in the court room. The judge is separate from the investigation team and only role is to make an overall decision from the presented evidence collected by the investigation team. A judge is present at every trial that goes to court and the decisions he/she makes depend on how serious the case is. The judge that sentenced Sion Jenkins is unknown but he was prosecuted by the CPS and the judge sentenced him to life in prison. He was imprisoned for 6 years until he appealed in 2004 and was released on insufficient evidence.
A
lawyer’s role is to assist the party he is assigned to (guilty or not guilty)
in the court room to either help get a guilty verdict against the opposing
party, or to defend their party and get a not guilty verdict. They help the
people who hire them before going into court to prep a case to prove innocence
or they advise their client on how to plead to get a reduced sentence. They
revise the case and compile all the information they can to help the person be
acquitted. The more information on the case the lawyer knows, the more chance
they have of putting together a strong case and winning over a jury. A lawyer
is part of the court service and has to work alongside the client and present
to the jury and judge to counteract the CPS’s arguments. The lawyers roles are
basically the same in each case, which is defending their client. But defending
their client can be hard as each case is different, maybe they have to defend a
murderer where the evidence against them is so strong they is no way they could
compile a sufficient enough argument or they may need to wait for autopsy
results before they can begin to defend their client. In the Sion Jenkin’s
case, he had hired a lawyer to defend him and prove his innocence, and another
lawyer who tried to prove his guilt. It took Sion’s lawyer six years to prove
he was not guilty of the crime, and get him released from prison. After this he
was taken back into court two times, but they were still unable to prove
whether he was guilty or not.
ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENTS.
These departments played no part in Sion's case, so this is a brief overview of who they are and what they do in other cases.
SERIOUS & ORGANISED CRIME AGENCY
This agency dealt with immigration and immigrants trying to break into the country, drug and human trafficking and serious fraud cases. However this agency only lasted from 1st April 2006 to 7th October 2013
MILITARY POLICE
Military police get involved in an investigation when a crime happens on the base or whilst a victim is on duty and in the military, they carry out the same procedures as police would and sometimes work with the police.
MAJOR CRIME SQUAD
A major crime squad is a specialised police department which is only needed when basic police investigators aren't capable of dealing with such high profile crime or don't have the correct training/facilities. The types of crime that this squad will be called in for are ;- Art theft, Bank/Safe robberies, Burglary of contents over £100,000, Kidnappings, Extortion of a bank, Armed robbery, All robberies of warehouses/similar and Hijacking.
As this squad is not mandatory, should one of these cases arise, the squad would be key in conviction.
HM REVENUE & CUSTOMS
This agency has its own special team who deal with tax crimes, for example, tax fraud. Their special team will deal with the people/person in question and send letters out to alert the person, and send court requests or people round to the persons place of residency.
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
The EA protect the environment and enhance it to ensure it's always in live able conditions, if anyone puts this at risk, such as major companies polluting the environment by dumping waste in the sea, rivers or lakes, the EA will take action upon them.
FINANCIAL SERVICE AGENCY
FSA was responsible for regulation of the financial services industry in the united kingdom, however was abolished in 2012
POST OFFICE INVESTIGATIONS
Post officers have their own investigation teams which tackle any suspicious packages going through their customs, they find out where exactly the package was sent from, and where it was going to. If the suspicious package turns out to be something serious, they will contact the police forces on either end of the packages travel plan.
They also deal with smaller matters, like missing mail.
NHS COUNTER FRAUD
This service makes sure that the tax payer money is being deployed fairly and for good purposes.
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