Text 22. Crime scene protection

Plan how you will approach and enter a crime scene well before you actually arrive. Consider from the information you have received the nature of the offence and therefore the type of physical evidence which could be present. This will give you a head start on what to look for once you are able to begin the protection phase of the scene.

Remember that the culprit also had to approach and leave the crime scene. Be careful not to drive or walk over any area where tire or shoe impressions may be present. If possible, park your vehicle a short distance away to allow room for observing potential routs to the scene and any evidence which they may contain.

At the earliest opportunity make your notes. This must indicate exactly where you went and what you touched. These are not always easy things to remember following a tense situation. They are even more difficult to remember a year or two later at the trial when you are being vigorously cross-examined and have no notes!

When attending to an injured victim or checking a suspected dead body, try to choose a route which would not likely have been used by a culprit. Anyway, whatever route you do use, make a mental note of it and then exit by the same route.

Existing evidence on this route may well be damaged, and other materials may be added, but by confining all traffic to a single narrow route the area of contamination is controlled to a known, and minimal area. You then must ensure that all persons who subsequently enter the scene, such as the ambulance crew, investigators coroner and body removal staff, all use that same route.

The next step is to secure the scene. Prior to the arrival of police many persons, some well-intentioned, some with ulterior motives, may wander about the scene. Pieces of physical evidence are often moved, damaged, made valueless by contamination or even carried away as souvenirs.

Your next responsibility, therefore, is to clear people out of the area and establish a perimeter to prevent any further contamination. While you are doing so you must obtain names and addresses of all those present. You may be surprised how fast the crowd clears when you start asking for names and addresses!

Unit 11 text 23. A history of policing in ireland

A single police force The Constabulary of Ireland¹ was established in 1836. It was a trained and disciplined force under the central control of the government administration at Dublin Castle. It represented a fresh start in policing and members served under a strict code which governed all aspects of their lives, on and off duty. Elaborate precautions were taken to ensure that its members displayed strict impartiality at all times. Policemen lived in barracks, were prohibited from serving in their (or their wives’) native areas, were unable to vote or to belong to any political or religious groups.

In 1867 the constabulary was given a royal title for its part in suppressing the Fenian Uprising of that year and became The Royal Irish Constabulary² (RIC), the first Royal police force and a model for a number of police forces throughout the world. By the end of the 19^th century the RIC with an average strength of 11,000 was responsible for the policing of the whole of Ireland with the exception of the city of Dublin which had its own police force, The Dublin Metropolitan Police.

Following the partition of Ireland it was decided to disband the RIC as an all-Ireland police force. In Southern Ireland a new police force, the Civic Guard, later Garda Siochana,³ was formed, while in Northern Ireland The Royal Ulster Constabulary⁴ (RUC) was established on 1^st June 1922 as the police force for Northern Ireland.

Due to the problem of political agitation and violence, the RUC had the dual role of combating normal crime and armed subversion from the IRA. The Civil Rights Movement of 1968/69 led to serious civil unrest with which the RUC was unprepared to deal with due to its small size, limited resources and political control. The army was called in to restore order. A police inquiry followed; the RUC was radically reformed to bring it more into line with other UK police forces.

The escalation of terrorist campaign in the 1970’s and 80’s made the RUC develop in both size (to a strength of 13,500) and expertise to meet the challenge. In addition to countering the terrorist threat the RUC developed specialist units concerned with areas such as serious crime, racketeering, drugs, traffic offences and domestic violence.

The difficulty and danger of the RUC‘s task in the years of terrorist violence was recognized by the award of the George Cross to the force in April 2000. A large number of officers also received individual awards for gallantry.

On 4^th November 2001 the RUC became the Police Service of Northern Ireland⁵ (PSNI). The first PSNI-trained officers took up duty in April 2002.

The direction and control of the service is vested in the Chief Constable, who is assisted by a Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constables. For operational purposes Northern Ireland is divided into 3 regional areas and 29 District Command Units. PSNI ranks, duties, conditions of service and pay are in line with those of other UK police forces.

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¹the Constabulary of Ireland – Констебли Ирландии

²the Royal Irish Constabulary – Королевские Констебли Ирландии

³Garda Siochana – Гарда Шиохана

⁴the Royal Ulster Constabulary – Королевские Констебли Ольстера

⁵Police Service of Northern Ireland – Полиция Северной Ирландии