Open Access

Austin Journal of Forensic Science and

Criminology

Review Article

Role of Forensic Science in Crime Scene Investigation

Upasana Borah*
Abstract
NEF Law College, Assam, India
*Corresponding author: Upasana Borah, NEF Law The scene of occurrence is the place where the criminal act has been
College, Assam, India reported to have taken place. After a crime is been reported to the police, the
investigation process is set into motion. Quite often, the success or failure of
Received: July 03, 2020; Accepted: August 04, 2020; the entire criminal investigation will depend upon proper handling of the crime
Published: August 11, 2020 scene and processing of the evidence. The investigator who is very important
person in every crime scene plays an active role and therefore must possess
the knowledge and skill to preserve the evidence available at the crime scene.
He must learn to recognize, identify, preserve and collect items of physical
evidence. He must also be fully conversant with the legal as well as the scientific
requirements in the collection of the evidence.

Crime Scene 4. Point to Exit,

The crime scene is not the domain of anyone but of the whole 5. Line of retreat.
team. A scene of occurrence of a crime is the place where a particular The scene may be classified into outdoor or indoor. A crime
crime has been committed or where physical evidence of such crime committed on a road or a field is an outdoor crime whereas the crime
is found or taken place and first brought to the notice of the police. committed inside the house, car, building etc can be termed as indoor
Thus, there are multi-point crime scenes in most of the cases. It is crime [2]. The crime of indoor and outdoor nature like theft, robbery,
the starting point for the investigator, which provides him with the dacoity, homicide, rape, traffic accident have invariably physical
information on the victim and the suspect and to reconstruct the evidence at their scenes because of intense physical activities involved
crime scene [1]. In short, crime scene is a site where some evidence in their commission. Physical Evidence found at the crime scene can
relating to the commission of crime is found or exchanged. It is a be the key to the solution of a crime [3]. There may be certain types
place where the person/persons involved conducting a crime. of crimes, which have no ‘scene’ at all. The crime of this nature are
The scene occurrence provides a wealth to clue material and other forgery, embezzlement etc.
evidence which is useful to:
Every Crime scene leaves a unique way of aspects for the
1. Establish Corpus Delicti; examination of the scene. The opportunity to examine the crime scene
2. Link the criminal, the victim and the scene of occurrence inter of occurrence is available only once. If the same is not investigated
se; properly the wealth of information is lost forever. This examination
of scene of occurrence should help to answer these few questions-
3. Evaluate the pattern of events;
1. How did the criminal and the victim reach the scene of
4. Indicate modus operandi, sequences of the event; occurrence?
5. Help reconstruction of the occurrence; 2. What were the routes of exit and entrance?
6. Find the criminal(s), victim(s) and evidence; 3. What was the number of criminals and victims?
7. Find the number of nature of weapons; 4. How was the crime committed and what are modus operandi?
8. Know the transport used; 5. What kind of evidence has been exchanged between the
9. Ascertain the routes of ingress and egress. criminal and the victim?

The scene of occurrence of crime cannot be limited to one specific 6. Is that alleged scene of occurrence genuine or simulated?
place; it may extend to more than one place. It may also not be limited 7. When the crime was been committed?
to the surroundings but thus it extends to a wider area depending
upon the nature of crime. 8. Who were the criminals and victims?

In a compact of crime, such as Burglary the scene may be divided 9. Who did the criminal visit after committing the crime?
into- 10. Why did the victim behave in a particular way?
1. Line of approach, Above listed are just the numbers of questions that used to arise
while investigating the case but apart from these there are more
2. Point of entry,
unsolved mysteries of a case that will busted out after the examination
3. Actual Scene, of the crime scene. Actions taken at the outset of an investigation at a

Austin J Forensic Sci Criminol - Volume 7 Issue 1 - 2020 Citation: Borah U. Role of Forensic Science in Crime Scene Investigation. Austin J Forensic Sci Criminol. 2020;
ISSN : 2380-0801 | www.austinpublishinggroup.com 7(1): 1083.
Borah. © All rights are reserved
Upasana Borah Austin Publishing Group

6. Conduct a Secondary survey;

7. Record and preserve evidence.
But the investigator must therefore have a balanced approach to
the investigation of crime. For that he must understand:
1. What is physical Evidence?
2. How to collect and preserve it?
3. How and from where to obtain the information it carries?
Figure 1: Line or strip search.
4. How to interpret the information so obtained?
Samples Collected from Crime Scence and
Preservation of Crime Scene
A wide variety of physical evidence can be collected at a scene
that is deemed valuable (probative) for collection and investigation
[6]:
• Biological Evidence (Eg: Blood, Body Fluids, and Hairs);
• Latent print Evidence (Eg: Footprints, Fingerprints, Plamprints);
• Footwear and Tire Track Evidence;
• Trace Evidence (Eg: Fibers, Vegetation);
• Digital Evidence (Eg: Call Records, Internet Logs, Emails);
• Drug Evidence;
Figure 2: Strip or grid search.
• Firearm Evidence;

crime scene lead to assure proper resolution of a case. • Tool and Tool mark evidence.
Research Methodology The type of evidence collected will vary with the type of crime
[7]. In the case of a Burglary it would be common to perform task
This paper is primarily based research paper where I tend to treat
in the order listed below. This will help to ensure that evidence isn’t
the methodology of crime scene occurrence which gives a better
inadvertently damaged or destroyed:
insight of the topic and scope for research. The secondary data is been
collected from websites, international journal and articles. 1. The photograph and document of the crime scene;
How a Crime Scene is Investigated? 2. Collect trace material especially from the point of entry;
All criminal investigation is concerned either with people or with 3. Collect low level DNA evidence by swabbing areas of contact;
things. Only people commit crime, but they invariably do so through
4. Collect all the items that may contain biological evidence;
the medium of things. It is these things that together constitute
the broad field of physical evidence. Many investigations have 5. Locate and collect latent fingerprints.
failed in some degree to make the most efficient use of the physical
Proper evaluation of the scene of occurrence is very time
evidence because of their neglect in looking for the physical evidence
consuming job so it requires being patience to get the proper result:
and placing reliance only on the people committing crimes. The
circumstances that investigators encounter at the scene will largely 1. Protection of the crime scene;
dictate the approach used to process the scene. A HOMICIDE will
2. Photography of the crime scene;
likely require different treatment and processing than a BURGLARY
[4]. However, to ensure a thorough process, the seven steps outlined 3. Sketching a rough idea of the crime scene;
below are often followed by the experts:
4. Searching for evidence at the crime scene;
1. Establish the scene dimensions and identify potential safety
5. Handling clues;
and health hazards [5];
6. Recording of the scenes of occurrence.
2. Establish Security;
Preservation the crime scene is the most important task of the
3. Plan, Communicate and Coordinate;
police until the Forensic Experts arrived. The first person arriving at
4. Conduct a Primary survey; the scene should be able to protect the scene from curious onlookers
and the family members. He should isolate the area and mark it
5. Document and process the scene;

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it provides a more thorough search of an area (Figure 2).

3. A Search Zone involves dividing the area to be searched
into adjacent zones [11]. The smaller the size of the zone, the more
methodical the search can be [12]. Zone searches may be done by
multiple searches per zone (Figure 3) [13].
4. A Spiral Search involves spiral into (inward) or out from
(outward) a crime scene. A practical disadvantage with outward
spiral searches is the evidence may be destroyed as the searchers move
Figure 3: Multiple searches per zone. to the center of the crime scene area to begin their outward search.
Then they repeat the process several ties depending on the size of the
circle (Figure 4).
i. If the crime scene is committed in the indoor, the investigator
must be careful, thorough and systematic in his search for traces. He
must make keen observations and proceed methodically by searching
along the line of approach and departure as also on the scene of
crime itself. Search in a room or other enclosed place like railway
compartment or a vehicle should be conducted in a definite order.
ii. If the crime scene has been committed outdoor, it will be
Figure 4: Spiral Search.
convenient to employ a team of officers and distribute the area
amongst them. Such a team may consist of the leader and four
“CRIME SCENE: DO NOT CROSS”. Nothing on the scene should be members who were been trained in searching of clues for crime scene
touched, altered or changed by anyone until the investigating officers investigation.
does not take a proper note of it. Once any material or any object is Reconstruction of Crime Scene
been replaced from the place where the crime has been committed it
can’t be stored exactly in the same place and the chance becomes less Crime Reconstruction or Crime Scene Reconstruction is the
for finding appropriate evidence. The scene once touched, altered or forensic science discipline in which one gains “explicit knowledge of
changed will make the task hardle for the investigators to investigate the series of events that surround the commission of a crime using
but there will be again reconstruction of crime scene to identify the seductive and inductive reasoning, physical evidence, scientific
criminal and physical evidence, very difficult but not impossible. methods and their interrelationships [14]. The Association for Crime
Scene Reconstruction was formed in the year 1991 by a group of
Recording of Crime Scene crime scene professionals who “saw a need for an organization that
would encompass an understanding of the whole crime scene and the
After taking an immediate action to protect the crime scene, the
necessity of reconstruction that scene in order to better understand
investigator should then proceed to record the evidence. But before
the elements of the crime and to recognize and preserve evidence.
doing, he should take help from two reliable independent witness
Crime Scene reconstruction has been described as putting together a
who can give proper incident of the crime. It can be either nearby
jigsaw puzzle but doing so without access to the box-top; the analyst
neighbors, family members or friends as their presence will act as a
does not know what the picture is supposed to look like [15]. Further,
witness statement and strengthen the case of the prosecution at the
not all of the pieces are likely to be present, so there will be holes in
time of trial. No evidence should be picked up or touched or even
the picture. However, if enough pieces of a puzzle are assembled in
disturbed till it has been minutely described in a notebook, as its
correct order, the picture becomes quite enough that the viewer is
location shown in the sketch graph and photographs taken [8].
able to recognize the image and answer the critical questions about it.
Processing of Crime Scene
In Forensic Science, there are three areas of importance in finding
1. A Lane or Strip Searches are accomplished by the searchers the answers and determining the components of a crime scene [16]:
walking in parallel along defined lanes in the same directions.
1. Specific Incident Reconstruction;
The whole area to be searched is blocked into a rectangle and four
searchers proceed along tracks parallel to one side of the rectangle 2. Event Reconstruction;
looking for clues [9]. With every clue discovered the searchers inform
3. Physical Evidence Reconstruction.
the leader who arranges for proper collection and preservation of
clues [10]. The process continues until the searchers cover the entire Homicide; Suicide
crime scene area. The search must be cautious, slow and steady that
Forensic Science mobile unit in Rajasthan routinely visited
no physical evidence is been missed (Figure 1).
various “Scene of Occurrence” to assist the investigating agencies to
2. A Grid is a lane search that is conducted by completing a collect and preserve the clue materials left by the culprit at the spot
lane search in one direction and then completing a lane search in a for laboratory examination. But sometimes forensic experts helps
perpendicular direction. While it takes twice as long as a lane searches, through examination of spot, reconstruction of the same and another

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Upasana Borah Austin Publishing Group

aspect to find out the actual truth behind the crime scene. The spot the full crime scene. While Crime Scene investigation is of the value
examination dealt with the question of I.O. that whether the matter is when reconstruction is started at the scene during the initial phases
related to suicide or a homicidal attempt. of investigation, during the investigation and during the adjudication
process. The Forensic Expert, may determine while the interviews are
The Crime scene usually includes line of approach, point of entry,
been conducted to find out the criminal. By knowing the events as
the actual scene, and the point of exit and the line of departure. The
reconstructed, the I.O conducting the interviews may be able to detect
Physical Evidence from any of these sources will be an excellent
deception or Crime Scene Reconstruction inconsistencies as reported
piece of evidence, as provided in SECTION 157 of the CODE OF
by Forensic Experts. The use of this knowledge can be a powerful tool
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE, 1973 the investigating officer has to
in the hands of an experienced investigator [18-20].
proceed to the spot to investigate all the facts and circumstances of the
case. The crime scene is a potent source of diverse types of physical References
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but the evidence left behind by the criminal gives a full drawback of

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