An investigation into the enhancement of fingermarks in blood on fruit and vegetables

A number of studies have reported the successful enhancement of latent fingermarks on fruit and vegetables. A study was set up to identify the most effective technique for the enhancement of fingermarks in blood on various fruit and vegetables. The enhancement techniques targeted different components in blood and consisted of protein stains (e.g. acid black 1), peroxidase reagents (e.g. leuco crystal violet) and amino acid stains (e.g. ninhydrin). Different variables such as the ageing periods of the marks and a diminishing series were employed to assess the suitability and sensitivity of the enhancement techniques.Overall, the use of different protein stains appeared to be the most effective techniques for the enhancement of fingermarks in blood on fruit and vegetables. In addition, the aubergine and cucumber skins appeared to be the most responsive surface to the different chemical techniques during enhancement. On the contrary, little or no enhancement was achieved for fingermarks in blood on the nectarine fruit

Evaluation of Forensic Interviews and Interrogations: A Thematic Analysis of Law-Enforcement Views

Purpose. Effective forensic interviewing is crucial, particularly if the interview is the only source of evidence. Whilst there are a number of non-coercive interview models that advocate for reflective practice, the evaluation of interviews rarely gets the time or attention it deserves. This is concerning given that interviewer skills drop significantly after six months, and there are limited opportunities for refresher training. The aims of the current study were to explore how law enforcement officers reflect upon and evaluate their interviews and seek their insight into what they believe an effective evaluation tool would constitute. Methodology. A total of 32 officers from three police forces in England and Wales and six international security organisations completed a qualitative questionnaire that explored their views on how interview evaluation is conducted and the impact on the interview, and how technology could assist in this important stage in terms of usability, efficacy and capability of a new evaluation tool. Findings. Thematic Analysis was utilised resulting in three overall themes emerging from the data. These focused on current evaluation methods, barriers to conducting evaluations and technological solutions. Originality. The findings are discussed in relation to interviewing and the Forensic Interview Trace©. Implications for practice include the need for much more effort to be put into (re) introducing the evaluation stage into training to ensure that officers are allowed to reflect upon and evaluate their interview performance

Mental disorder and investigative interviewing: towards a practice-based framework

Since the process of deinstitutionalisation, increasing numbers of those with mental disorder are coming into contact with the criminal justice system. As such, police officers are required to be able to effectively interview this vulnerable cohort in an appropriate manner to elicit accurate and reliable information. However, there is a lack of psychological research that explores the vulnerable suspect during the investigative interview. This is concerning given that those with a mental disorder are at a heightened risk of providing misleading information and falsely implicating themselves. The current thesis sets to address this. Exploring police officers’ perceptions of mental disorder indicated that there is still a lack of understanding of what constitutes a mental disorder, and that the level of experience the officer has impacts upon their perceptions of this vulnerable group. Thus, the treatment and outcome of the MD suspect is heavily dependent on whom they encounter. Further studies explored the actual interviewing of MD suspects by examining real-life transcripts, and via experimental methods. Results indicated that current practice may not be best for interviewing the MD suspect; that is, one size may not fit all in terms of questioning style. Other work explored the efficacy of the current safeguards utilised within the investigative interview; here it was found that Appropriate Adults continue to remain passive in their approach, thus not fulfilling their role as part of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Finally, the introduction of the Forensic Interview TraceÓ is outlined as a standardised structure for police officers to effectively evaluate their interviews in order to ensure their skillset does not decline, especially when one considers the complexities involved when interviewing MD suspects. Implications are discussed throughout in relation to relevant theoretical and empirical work, as well as applications and potential impact of the research

N,N′-Dibenzyl-N,N′-dimethyl-N′′-(2-phenyl­acet­yl)phospho­ric triamide

The P atom in the title mol­ecule, C24H28N3O2P, is in a distorted tetra­hedral P(=O)(N)(N)2 environment. The phosphoryl group and the NH unit adopt a syn orientation with respect to each other and the N atoms have sp 2 character. The P—N bonds in the P(O)[N(CH3)(CH2C6H5)]2 unit are shorter than the P—N bond in the C(=O)NHP(=O) fragment. An intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal, pairs of P=O⋯H—N hydrogen bonds form centrosymmetric dimers. C—H⋯O contacts are also observed. Four C atoms of two benzene rings are disordered over two alternative sites with an occupancy ratio of 0.523 (12):0.427 (12)

3-O-Benzyl-6-O-benzoyl-1,2-O-isopropil­idene-5-C-nitro­methyl-a-d-glucofuran­ose

The title compound, C24H27NO9, is one of the epimers of the Henry reaction of 3-O-benzyl-6-O-benzoyl-2-O-isopropyl­idene-a-d-glucofuran-5-one with nitro­methane. The conformation of the five membered rings is as expected from the precursor compound and the mol­ecule is folded with a dihedral angle of 51.4 (2)° between the aromatic rings. One O—H⋯O hydrogen bond and some intra­molecular and inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions are observed in the structure

1-(Biphenyl-4-ylmethyl­idene)thio­semicarbazide monohydrate

In the title compound, C14H13N3S·H2O, the thio­semicarbazide group is nearly planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.072 (2) Å from the ideal least-squares plane, and shows an E conformation. In the crystal packing, the water mol­ecules are involved in an extensive inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen-bond network, assisted by O—H⋯S inter­actions, which link the independent mol­ecules into chains extended along b axis. An intra­molecular hydrogen N—H⋯N bond helps to stabilize the mol­ecular conformation

Evaluation of a Hot Print System for the development of latent fingermarks on thermal paper:a pseudo-operational trial

Enhancement of latent fingermarks on thermal paper poses a number of problems when using traditional methods used for porous substrates due to blackening of the thermal layer as a result of polar solvents present within the reagents and high temperatures oxidising the acid/dye complex. Thus, methods which prevent such reactions are favoured for the development of latent prints on said substrates. A comparative pseudo-operational trial using UV, Hot Print System (HPS), ninhydrin and ThermaNIN was performed on 1000 thermal paper substrates gathered from various sources. The results indicated that the most effective method was an acetone pre-wash followed by ninhydrin. The sequence of HPS-ninhydrin was similarly effective when compared to ninhydrin as a sole technique. ThermaNIN produced fewer marks than ninhydrin but was superior to HPS. Whilst the HPS developed some fingermarks, there was only a very small number of marks uniquely developed by it.</p

Effective evaluation of forensic interviews: The Forensic Interview Trace (FIT)

Forensic interviewing forms an integral part of a police/law enforcement officer’s main duties and responsibilities. However, not every interviewer possesses suitable interview skills to be able to complete this effectively. Despite the introduction of the PEACE model of interviewing, with the last ‘E’ focusing specifically on ‘Evaluation’, this stage of the interview model rarely gets the attention it deserves. This is concerning given the need for forensic interviews to be legally ‘bomb-proof’. Although the Griffiths Question Map (GQM) has gone some way to assist in the effective evaluation of forensic interviews, focusing solely on question types restricts its use in evaluating the entirety of a forensic interview. However, the more recently developed Forensic Interview Trace (FIT) ã allows the reviewer to record all aspects of a forensic interview, including questioning, interviewee responses, and interviewer and interviewee characteristics. This ensures that effective evaluations of forensic interviews can be undertaken to ensure compliance with relevant guidance and legislation, whilst continuously evaluating individual interview performance to ensure that effective interview skills pertain to best practice