Loopholes in Forensic Investigative Procedures

As Crimes are flourishing day by day, the use of forensic investigative procedures has increased; however, there are some loopholes in the system. Some of the loopholes are discussed in this article.

The key problem in this area is the lack of knowledge in the officials, who process the crime scene. It causes improper handling of evidence, resulting in delayed or inaccurate convictions. Victims don’t receive proper medical care or assistance immediately after the crime. Collection, Packaging, and Preservation of evidence are not done in accordance with standard procedures. Moreover, the chain of custody is not maintained properly, degrading the value of evidence.

Lack of proper crime scene security like barricading leads to the introduction of new exhibits which manipulates the original scene & misleads the investigation. Eyewitnesses of any heinous crime require psychological care; however, they are pressured by the officials instead. Most of the times witnesses may manipulate their statements after interacting with each other.

Lack of coordination between forensic professionals & police officers affects the processing of Crime scenes. The facilities in the lab are insufficient for analysis. The methods & manuals are not updated periodically, the same old school procedures are still followed, which hampers the Justice Delivery process.

Cutting a long story short, there is a lot of difference between crime scene processing given in the Scripture and that of actual reality. The forensic trained professionals do not get a chance to work on the crime scene. An expert cannot express his/her opinion in addition to questions asked by the investigating officer.

To ensure proper handling, collection, packaging, preservation, and maintenance of the chain of custody, the arrangement of workshops, training programs, and seminars must be done so that more awareness can lighten the justice delivery system. Strict & stringent SOPs should be followed ensuring absolute security of the crime scene. Onsite video recording of eyewitnesses may reduce the manipulation of their statements.

For proper analysis of evidence, kits and lab equipment should be renewed or maintained periodically. Forensic trained professionals should be given the opportunity to work with the police department on actual crime scene investigation and should not only be limited to laboratory work.

In conclusion, instead of people from other subject backgrounds, forensic graduates should be preferred for the job as they could help in a better way!

About The Authors

This article is authored by Tejasvi Mali, Piyusha Rajguru, Saqifa Khan, Rohit Bharati, and Prathmesh Aher. They are graduating with a degree in forensic science.

Points to Remember

7 Steps of a Crime Scene Investigation

  1. Identify Scene Dimensions. Locate the focal point of the scene.
  2. Establish Security. Tape around the perimeter.
  3. Create a Plan & Communicate. Determine the type of crime that occurred.
  4. Conduct Primary Survey.
  5. Document and Process Scene.
  6. Conduct Secondary Survey.
  7. Record and Preserve Evidence.
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