Crime Scene And Physical Evidence Awareness For Non-forensic Personnel
Every incident, be it a crime, accident, natural disaster, armed conflict, or other, leaves traces at the scene. The goal of the subsequent investigation is to correctly interpret the facts, reconstruct the events and understand what happened. Due to the transient and fragile nature of those traces, their reliability and the preservation of their physical integrity depend to a very large extent on initial actions at the scene of the incident. Evidence integrity can be achieved with very limited means by observing a key set of guiding principles. Acting with care and professionalism throughout the crime scene investigation process is critical for the admissibility of evidence for court purposes as well as for human rights inquiries and humanitarian action. The present manual was prepared to fill a gap in the compendium of available tools for the judiciary and law enforcement agencies and is the result of a consultative process involving a number of reputable individuals, institutions and organizations, who