Literature Review: Expertise, decision making and situation awareness literature have allowed a better understanding of practitioner performance in Engineering, Healthcare and Sport. Discourse is thin in the domain of Crime Scene Examination, although Hierarchical Tasks Analysis, Distributed Cognition, Team Working and Perception have all received attention in recent years. The use of camera technology to uncover performance has also found footing in diverse professions, notably Firefighting and Social Work. Crime Scene Investigator practice is proposed as being a fertile area of study, to make apparent aspects of the work that are tacit, as well as to ascertain if performance metrics in the sector connect with the tacit knowledge expressed in the role. Methodology: This study explored the differences in searching strategies between expert and novice Crime Scene Examiners (n=12) in a simulated environment, before discussing a longitudinal ethnographic examination of how Volume Crime Scene Investigators (n=4) make sense of their practice. Eye-tracker and head-mounted camera technology was used to capture performance from an own point of view perceptive. Nvivo 9 was utilised to collate and code video data, field notes and interview transcriptions. Results & Discussion: Results from verbal protocol analysis and eye-tracker recordings indicate that expert examiners target fewer objects within the crime scene space however spend longer on the objects being viewed. Field study results report that Volume Crime Scene Investigators engage in sharing tacit knowledge, this impacted on their strategies or perception of obtaining forensic evidence. In addition the analysis of coded data from video and verbal protocol reports found that specific physical aspects of examination practice such as fingerprint powdering were aligned to decision making or analysis processes. For example, commenting on the morphology of the surface being examined. Furthermore examiners engaged in and highlighted aspects of their role they felt were important but were not captured in any metrics. Conclusion: It is proposed this new understanding will be of use to those in developing crime scene investigation practitioners as well as presenting related literature on how expertise in the domain can be recognised, elicited and developed in others. This work also sheds light on the value of sector standards for this field along with what is needed to make them more user- friendly for the developing practitioner.

Magistro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjama ganėtinai svarbi ir aktuali tema „Pėdsakai įvykio vietoje: suradimas, fiksavimas, paėmimas“. Svarbi todėl, kad, turint omenyje dabartinę ne tik Lietuvos, bet ir pasaulio ekonominę situaciją, pastebimai daugėja nusikalstamų veikų, kurios dėl įvairių technologijų ir mokslo vystymosi tampa vis sudėtingesnės ir labiau apgalvotos. Aktuali todėl, kad kiekvienas esame vienodai suinteresuoti, kad kuo daugiau tokių nusikalstamų veikų būtų išaiškinta: surastas nusikaltėlis ir būtų tinkamai už tai nubaustas. Būtent nuo šios vietos ir tampa svarbi šio baigiamojo darbo tema, kuri ir yra skirta supažindinti su pėdsakų samprata, dažniausiai įvykio vietoje randamų pėdsakų rūšimis bei pagrindinėmis taisyklėmis, kaip reikėtų tinkamai pėdsakus užfiksuoti, kad jie neprarastų pagrindinės savo vertybės − tai yra to svarbaus ir neįkainojamo įnašo į sėkmingą tyrimo baigtį. Taigi pirmojoje darbo dalyje trumpai išdėstyta, kas yra pėdsakai, ir argumentuojama, kodėl šiame baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjamos iš esmės dvi pagrindinės pėdsakų rūšys: rankų pėdsakai bei biologiniai pėdsakai. Toliau nagrinėjant šių dviejų pėdsakų rūšių suradimo, paėmimo bei užfiksavimo subtilybes pateikiama nemažai vaizdinės medžiagos. Antroje darbo dalyje pateikta nemažai statistinių duomenų apie užregistruotas nusikalstamas veikas, apie atliktas apžiūras bei kiek buvo paimta pėdsakų ir kokia iš to buvo gauta nauda. Nagrinėjant statistinius duomenis paaiškėja pėdsakų rezultatyvumo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In this master‘s thesis a quite sensitive and topical subject – Trace evidences at the crime scene: locating, fixation and recovery were analized. The criminal situation is getting worse everyday because of economical decline and andvanced technologies that are involved in commiting crime. That is why this topic is so sensitive. All of us are interested in finding and punishing criminal, regardless whether we were affected somehow by the crimes or not. And that is why this subject is so relevant. In this master’s thesis you can find the describtion of the trace evidences’ concept, the kinds of most discovered trace evidences are the main rules how correctly fixate and not to lose traces (this part is the most important to make the whole investigation successful). Why trace evidences were chosen and why only two particular kinds of them (biological and fingerptints) are being analyzed? The first part of the master’s thesis will answer these questions. Also you will find the pictures, which visually depict the beforementioned matter. We can see the statistical information about registered criminal activities, carried out inspections and the amount of taken trace evidences in the second part of master’s thesis. While analyzing this statistical information it’s became obvious why the traces which are being found in the places of the crimes are tend to become less and less informative. In the second part of thesis you can also find the answer how the legal acts of the Republic of... [to full text]

Revisiting a crime scene is a vital part of investigating a crime. When physically visiting a crime scene there is however always a risk of contaminating the scene, and when working on a cold case, chances are that the physical crime has been altered. This thesis aims to explore what tools a criminal investigator would need to investigate a crime in a virtual environment and if a virtual reconstruction of a crime scene can be used to aid investigators when solving crimes. To explore these questions, an application has been developed in Unreal Engine that uses virtual reality (VR) to investigate a scene, reconstructed from data that has been obtained through laser scanning. The result is an application where the user is located in the court of Stockholm city, which was scanned with a laser scanner by NFC in conjunction with the terror attack on Drottninggatan in April 2017. The user can choose between a set of tools, e.g. a measuring tool and to place certain objects in the scene, in order to draw conclusions of what has happened. User tests with criminal investigators show that this type of application might be of use in some way for the Swedish police. It is however not clear how or when this would be possible which can be expected since this is a new type of application that has not been used by the police before.

This thesis aims to address several issues emerging in the new digital world. Using Trusted Computing as the paradigmatic example of regulation though code that tries to address the cyber security problem that occurs, where the freedom of the user to reconfigure her machine is restricted in exchange for greater, yet not perfect, security. Trusted Computing is a technology that while it aims to protect the user, and the integrity of her machine and her privacy against third party users, it discloses more of her information to trusted third parties, exposing her to security risks in case of compromising occurring to that third party. It also intends to create a decentralized, bottom up solution to security where security follows along the arcs of an emergent “network of trust”, and if that was viable, to achieve a form of code based regulation. Through the analysis attempted in this thesis, we laid the groundwork for a refined assessment, considering the problems that Trusted Computing Initiative (TCI) faces and that are based in the intentional, systematic but sometimes misunderstood and miscommunicated difference (which as we reveal results directly in certain design choices for TC) between the conception of trust in informatics (“techno-trust”) and the common sociological concept of it. To reap the benefits of TCI and create the dynamic “network of trust”, we need the sociological concept of trust sharing the fundamental characteristics of transitivity and holism which are absent from techno-trust. This gives rise to our next visited problems which are: if TC shifts the power from the customer to the TC provider, who takes on roles previously reserved for the nation state, then how in a democratic state can users trust those that make the rules? The answer lies partly in constitutional and human rights law and we drill into those functions of TC that makes the TCI provider comparable to state-like and ask what minimal legal guarantees need to be in place to accept, trustingly, this shift of power. Secondly, traditional liberal contract law reduces complex social relations to binary exchange relations, which are not transitive and disrupt rather than create networks. Contract law, as we argue, plays a central role for the way in which the TC provider interacts with his customers and this thesis contributes in speculating of a contract law that does not result in atomism, rather “brings in” potentially affected third parties and results in holistic networks. In the same vein, this thesis looks mainly at specific ways in which law can correct or redefine the implicit and democratically not validated shift of power from customer to TC providers while enhancing the social environment and its social trust within which TC must operate.

In this research, the role of forensic science with the use of forensic photography in the crime scene reconstruction process was evaluated. The researcher identified how SAPS detectives and Crime Scene Technicians (CST‟S) are currently conducting crime scene reconstructions by adopting forensic photography; furthermore, other methods in which forensic photography could be used to conduct crime scene reconstructions were explored. The researcher made use of an empirical design, as the information available on the research topic was limited. The empirical design, together with a qualitative research approach, allowed for real-life observations. The simple random sampling method was used to select 20:10 partcipants for this research as follows: Ten (10) detectives that investigate murder cases, and another ten (10) CST‟S that conducted crime scene reconstructions in the Durban Policing Area (DPA). Data was obtained using qualitative data collection methods that included a literature study and interviews. The findings of this research provide that the value of forensic science, as well as the use of forensic photography in the crime scene reconstruction process, was established. Evidently, detectives and CST‟S are not doing everything possible to reconstruct murder crime scenes. For recommendation, this research suggests that SAPS detectives and crime scene technicians (CST'S) adopt the fundamentals of forensic science when reconstructing murder crime scenes. / Criminology and Security Science / M. Tech. (Forensic Investigation)

The present study examines the relationships between recognition and recall accuracy of faces, and recognition and recall accuracy of objects. Secondly, this study examines the influence of weapon presence on description and identification accuracy, and whether encoding time moderates the effect. 713 participants watched an image that was either displayed for five seconds or twenty seconds, and either included a weapon or no weapon. Subsequently, they were asked to give descriptions of what they saw before viewing a lineup that either included the perpetrator or was made up of innocent suspects. Results indicated that witnesses’ description accuracy of the crime scene had little or no predictive abilities with regards to their facial identification accuracy. Secondly, there was a weapon focus effect found for faces but not for objects. Furthermore, this effect was eliminated at long encoding times. Finally, increasing encoding time improved recognition of objects, but not faces. Results suggest that prior inaccuracy on one aspect of testimony is not necessarily indicative of subsequent inaccuracy on another aspect of testimony. This finding has implications for how jurors and judges should evaluate witness testimony when assessing credibility in the courtroom.

Crime scene examiners (CSEs) spend long hours at traumatic crime scenes, and interact closely with various elements of crime scenes. The topic has only recently attracted international research interest, and in the South African context the offering is meagre. The study set out to determine the profile of Southern Gauteng CSEs; to establish the scope of their tasks and responsibilities; to ascertain their trauma levels in relation to traumatic crime scenes and autopsies; to identify the specific coping strategies they use; to determine their context-specific experiences of job-related stress and trauma; and to ascertain the measure to which they experience contentedness within their workplace and their views on both briefing and debriefing. In pursuit of the objectives of the study, the research paradigm was rooted in positivism. Consequently, a quantitative approach was adopted and a cross-sectional design was employed. Through convenience sampling, 103 respondents were recruited from all eight Local Criminal Record Centres (LCRCs) in Southern Gauteng. The data gathering instrument was a paper-based, self-administered structured questionnaire, which included two standardised measuring instruments for trauma levels and coping strategies respectively. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests indicated that non-parametric statistical procedures were required. Using the Mann Whitney U test, bivariate analysis allowed for testing the relationships between variables. The findings demonstrate that male CSEs outnumber female CSEs by approximately 3:1. CSEs attend violent crime scenes with striking regularity, but autopsies less frequently. Significant proportions of CSEs are routinely required to both take photographs of crime scenes and compile photo albums. A sizeable number of CSEs present with concerning levels of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomology. The coping strategy adopted by majority of respondents is acceptance. Although attended less frequently, crime scenes involving deceased children are experienced as very distressing. A large proportion of CSEs are hesitant to access debriefing services, for numerous reasons, despite feeling the need to talk to someone about their work. The trauma experienced by CSEs is unique compared with other policing units. Therefore, it is recommended that trauma interventions should be responsive to their needs. Lastly, the CSEs who have been diagnosed with mental health conditions seem to be at significant risk, and thus they should receive special attention in future interventions. Keywords: crime scene examiner, Local Criminal Record Centres, trauma, traumatic event, crime scene, traumatic crime scene, emotional stress, coping strategy, autopsy, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Southern Gauteng. / Dissertation (MA (Criminology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Social Work and Criminology / MA (Criminology) / Restricted

The Crime Scene Reconstruction Abstract This diploma thesis deals with the issue of crime scene reconstruction both from the point of view of criminal law and from the point of view of criminological science and practice. With the help of reconstruction as a means of evidence, which is classified in the Criminal Procedure Code as a special means of proof, the authorities involved in criminal proceedings try to find out the facts of the case, about which there is no reasonable doubt. Through reconstruction as a method of criminalistic practice, the factual circumstances under which the investigated crime was committed are restored. The main goal of this thesis is a detailed analysis of the crime scene reconstruction from a criminal and forensic point of view, and the result of this analysis is a chapter devoted to considerations de lege ferenda. The secondary goal of the diploma thesis is to compare the crime scene reconstruction with selected investigative acts with the help of a comparative method. The diploma thesis is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the comparison of the crime scene reconstruction with investigative acts, with which there are very frequent interchanges in criminal practice. Part of the first part is also an approximation of the legal regulation of reconstruction in...

At the Swedish National Forensic Centre [Nationellt Forensiskt Centrum] (NFC) 3D-models are being used to document crime scenes, and visualizations based on 3D-models are being used in court. In addition to this, 3D-models of crime scenes allows for new methods to be developed and used. One of these are position estimations in 3D-models based on 2D-images. The software program P3KA has been developed at NFC for the purpose of conducting assisted position estimations with uncertainty analyses in 3D-models. The objective of the current study was to develop guidelines for the design and presentation of the uncertainty analyses produced by P3KA. The research questions that the current study aimed to answer were as follows. - How should uncertainty analyses for position estimations in crime scene visualizations be designed and presented? - What guidelines can support the process of designing and presenting uncertainty analyses for position estimations in crime scene visualizations? The concept of uncertainties is multifaceted and can be defined to include both statistical uncertainties and the uncertainty of scientific judgement. Uncertainties are unavoidable, and the field of forensic science is no exception. Previous studies have investigated the use of heat maps as a strategy for representing uncertainty. This strategy was applied to represent the uncertainty analyses produced by P3KA in an effort to create intuitive and comprehensible representation of uncertainty. In addition to studies regarding the representation of uncertainty, the field of information visualization provided a theoretical foundation on which the first version of guidelines could be developed. The guidelines were then evaluated through an iterative process consisting of three focus groups with members of the public, journalists, and communicators, as well as eight interviews with actors working within the justice system. All these groups have different relationships to crime scene visualizations, and could therefore contribute with knowledge about the domain, and different perspectives regarding the representation of uncertainty analyses for position estimations in crime scene visualizations. This was important to ensure that the representation was interpreted as intended. The guidelines were adjusted between each iteration, and finally one last version of the guidelines was established. Thus, answering the second of two research questions. The results from the current study furthermore showed that uncertainty analyses for position estimations in crime scene visualizations should be designed as single-colored heat maps that use a change of hue and boarders to distinguish levels of uncertainty within the representation. There should also be a clear marking that indicates the estimated position. When an uncertainty analysis is presented, it should be accompanied by the purpose of the position estimation; the results from the position estimation; the conclusions that can be drawn based on the position estimation; and the context for the position estimation. A crime scene visualization containing a position estimation should also be accompanied by documentation of the procedure. Additional views of the visualization or scales can be added to support the recipients understanding for spatial relationship and distances at the scene of the crime. Finally, the elements that are included in the crime scene visualization containing a position estimation and an uncertainty should be explained, through a legend for example. By creating guidelines for the design and presentation for representations of uncertainty analyses for position estimations, a standardized and transparent process can be achieved. Thus, supporting the legal security of the evidence that position estimations and crime scene visualizations constitute. The guidelines also open for a discussion regarding bias in the field of forensic science.

The present study involves a multivariate assessment of the success of evidence recovery by searchers from various backgrounds and skill levels. Volunteers representing four experience levels (civilian volunteers, first year forensic anthropology graduate students, second year forensic anthropology graduate students, and first responders) conducted line searches of mock crime scenes, flagging items of forensic significance with pin flags. The groups were then briefly trained in human skeletal remains recovery, and implemented this training through a second set of mock scene searches. Recovery rates were compared across pre- and post-training trials and across searcher groups in order to determine the influence of searcher training and experience on search success. The results of this study reveal not only the percentage of evidence that was recovered by search teams, but exhibits the degree to which experience and training played a role in evidence recovery.