Wüllenweber Sarah, Giles Stephanie
Cranfield Forensic Institute, Cranfield University, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, UK.
Cranfield Forensic Institute, Cranfield University, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, UK.
Sci Justice. 2021 Sep;61(5):542-554. doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2021.06.008. Epub 2021 Jun 24.
This study investigates the effectiveness of forensic evidence in UK volume crime investigations. The main aim was to identify characteristics of forensic evidence that influence its effectiveness in converting detections into criminal charges, as well as to critically consider the effectiveness of a recent service level agreement (SLA) implemented by Wiltshire Police, which aimed at reducing CSI attendance. The sample consisted of 445 police recorded cases received from Wiltshire Police. Presence or absence and location-related characteristics of fingerprint, DNA, and footwear evidence were evaluated on the effectiveness of forensic evidence and examined within the contexts of different volume crimes. Results showed a high level of correlation in converting detections into criminal charges where the presence of DNA, footwear, and multiple evidence types was recorded; and a positive correlation between forensic evidence ineffectiveness and presence of fingerprints, particularly in residential burglaries. Differences between individual offence types were expressed. The most prominent feature influencing the effectiveness of forensic evidence was found to be related to the movability of the exhibit associated with the recovered evidence, with DNA recovered from non-movable items presenting the strongest effectiveness. Cases processed after the implementation of the SLA did not show significant differences in forensic evidence effectiveness as compared to cases processed prior to the SLA, however, they demonstrated a lack in effectiveness of DNA evidence. The findings of the current research provide a better understanding of the contextual influences on the potential of forensic evidence and can support improvement of crime scene screening and CSI resource deployment.
本研究调查了法医证据在英国大量犯罪调查中的有效性。主要目的是确定影响法医证据将侦查结果转化为刑事指控有效性的特征，并批判性地考虑威尔特郡警方最近实施的旨在减少犯罪现场调查人员出勤的服务水平协议（SLA）的有效性。样本包括从威尔特郡警方收到的445起警方记录案件。评估了指纹、DNA和鞋印证据的有无及与位置相关的特征对法医证据有效性的影响，并在不同类型的大量犯罪背景下进行了研究。结果表明，在记录有DNA、鞋印和多种证据类型的情况下，将侦查结果转化为刑事指控的相关性较高；法医证据无效与指纹存在之间呈正相关，尤其是在住宅入室盗窃案中。研究还表明了不同犯罪类型之间的差异。影响法医证据有效性的最显著特征被发现与与追回证据相关的证物的可移动性有关，从不可移动物品上提取的DNA显示出最强的有效性。与SLA实施前处理的案件相比，SLA实施后处理的案件在法医证据有效性方面没有显著差异，然而，这些案件显示出DNA证据有效性的不足。本研究的结果有助于更好地理解影响法医证据潜力的背景因素，并可为改善犯罪现场筛查和犯罪现场调查人员资源部署提供支持。
