WOOLAVINGTON WI MEETING REPORT JULY 2016
You might have been forgiven for thinking that there had been some criminal activity at the village hall on our July meeting night with the arrival of a Scientific Investigations van at the car park. However nothing sinister had occurred; it was the vehicle belonging to our speaker for the evening, Andy Manns, a long serving and experienced police service civilian, who gave us a fascinating insight into the life of a Crime Scene Investigator.
His mantra for investigation was, A Assume nothing, B Believe nothing and C Check everything and his aim was to reconstruct the past. Every contact, we learned, leaves a trace, through transfer of fibres. Finger prints are best evidence since these are unique to each individual however advances in DNA identification mean that this is increasingly useful, as are shoe prints, since even the same pair worn by two people will have different sole imprints. Contemporaneous evidence can sometimes be used many years after the event and crimes from 30 years ago are being re examined and solved. Andy reminded us of a recent arrest where a man was identified and linked to a crime through familial DNA taken from his daughter.
It is very difficult to erase traces of blood and it takes only ten minutes for flies to be attracted to a dead body. Many bodies are discovered by dog walkers through the dog's acute sense of smell.
Andy's informative talk was interspersed with some light-hearted anecdotes and advice on how to keep safe.
There was an interesting response to the competition for a crime related item, won, not surprisingly by Corena's authentic truncheon and handcuffs.
Woolly Wonders quiz team, consisting of Teresa and Robert Hemms, Sue Greaves and Jaquitta Webb were once again top scorers in the quiz held at Oak Tree arena and will progress to the County Final for the second year in succession. Well done!
You might have been forgiven for thinking that there had been some criminal activity at the village hall on our July meeting night with the arrival of a Scientific Investigations van at the car park. However nothing sinister had occurred; it was the vehicle belonging to our speaker for the evening, Andy Manns, a long serving and experienced police service civilian, who gave us a fascinating insight into the life of a Crime Scene Investigator.
His mantra for investigation was, A Assume nothing, B Believe nothing and C Check everything and his aim was to reconstruct the past. Every contact, we learned, leaves a trace, through transfer of fibres. Finger prints are best evidence since these are unique to each individual however advances in DNA identification mean that this is increasingly useful, as are shoe prints, since even the same pair worn by two people will have different sole imprints. Contemporaneous evidence can sometimes be used many years after the event and crimes from 30 years ago are being re examined and solved. Andy reminded us of a recent arrest where a man was identified and linked to a crime through familial DNA taken from his daughter.
It is very difficult to erase traces of blood and it takes only ten minutes for flies to be attracted to a dead body. Many bodies are discovered by dog walkers through the dog's acute sense of smell.
Andy's informative talk was interspersed with some light-hearted anecdotes and advice on how to keep safe.
There was an interesting response to the competition for a crime related item, won, not surprisingly by Corena's authentic truncheon and handcuffs.
Woolly Wonders quiz team, consisting of Teresa and Robert Hemms, Sue Greaves and Jaquitta Webb were once again top scorers in the quiz held at Oak Tree arena and will progress to the County Final for the second year in succession. Well done!