Forensic Services (SCD 4) is a unit of the Metropolitan Police of London, England. Part of the Specialist Crime Directorate, their duties range from evidence recovery following burglaries to anti-terrorism work. It is divided into six units: [1]
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits. The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The Specialist Crime Directorate (SCD) was one of the main branches of London's Metropolitan Police Service. It provided highly visible specialist policing services across the whole of London. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley had previously led the directorate but it was later led by Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick. The Directorate led national police agency with regard to specialist crime investigations such as e-crime, sex crimes or kidnappings, hostage-taking and contract killings.
- Forensic Services Command Unit for Territorial Policing is responsible for the examination of all crime scenes. The 32 London Boroughs are divided into four "Links", with each Link covering eight boroughs. A "Borough Forensic Manager" has a team of "Assistant Forensic Practitioners" (AFPs) who examine crime scenes and support "Crime Scene Managers" at more serious crime scenes, such as murder. A Forensic Intelligence Unit links evidence recovered from different crime scenes.
- Forensic Investigation - Specialist Crime conducts forensic investigations of homicide, armed robbery and any other crime that falls within the remit of SCD.
- Specialist Evidence Recovery Imaging Services provides photographic services to the Met Police. It responds to major crime scenes, terrorist events and public order and CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) incidents.
- The Fingerprint Bureau compares finger and palm marks from crime scenes against offender databases, arrestee fingerprints against databases of unidentified marks, and fingerprints of suspects specified by investigating officers. The Bureau is responsible for archiving material from investigations and is also responsible for comparing the fingerprints of all arrestees in London in order to establish their identity. The Bureau also retrieves finger and palm marks by chemical and physical means and co-ordinates fingerprint evidence for presentation in court.
- The Evidence Recovery Unit provides chemical treatment prior to fingerprint, DNA and firearms examinations and use of specialised photographic lighting techniques.
- The Counter-Terrorism Team is responsible for retrieving evidence from terrorist activities.
A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal investigation. This evidence is collected by crime scene investigators (CSIs) and Law enforcement. The location of a crime scene can be the place where the crime took place, or can be any area that contains evidence from the crime itself. Scenes are not only limited to a location, but can be any person, place, or object associated with the criminal behaviors that occurred.
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human being with malice aforethought. This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter. Manslaughter is a killing committed in the absence of malice, brought about by reasonable provocation, or diminished capacity. Involuntary manslaughter, where it is recognized, is a killing that lacks all but the most attenuated guilty intent, recklessness.
Homicide is the act of one human killing another. A homicide requires only a volitional act by another person that results in death, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no intent to cause harm. Homicides can be divided into many overlapping legal categories, including murder, manslaughter, justifiable homicide, killing in war, euthanasia, and capital punishment, depending on the circumstances of the death. These different types of homicides are often treated very differently in human societies; some are considered crimes, while others are permitted or even ordered by the legal system.
