Thirty-six participants from 25 countries took part in the CEPOL Course 35/2014 - "Forensic investigation of the crime scene" was hosted in Zagreb on 23 - 26 September 2014. This was only the second activity organised by the Croatian CEPOL team.
The objective of the course was to increase awareness of modern forensic techniques, their delivery and impact on policing as well as developments and initiatives taken at European Union level to harmonise approaches. Participants will have an opportunity to share best practices and to expand their knowledge on the topics presented.
Experts from the Crime Scene Investigation Department and Forensic Science Centre of the Croatian Ministry of the Interior presented accredited methods in crime scene processing, including; forensic investigation techniques of biological traces; and, fire and explosion crime scene investigation.
An expert from ENSFI presented the importance of the Standardisation of Procedures for Crime Scene Investigations at EU level.
Actual casework in the usage of blood pattern analysis with its specific possibilities and limitations of the methodology was presented by an Italian expert. Other topics and activities during the course included:
- Crime scene traces in road accident investigations;
- Computer forensics;
- Firearms trace evidence and ballistics;
- Shoeprint and tool marks;
- Using specialized service dogs (cadaver dogs) on the crime scene;
- A practical exercise in a simulated case combining the work of traffic accident police and criminal police on the crime scene;
- Presentation on Fingerprints and DNA on the skin of cadavers - delivered by the expert from the German Bundeskriminalamt; and,
- A visit to the Forensic Science Centre Ivan Vučetić.
Following an overview and conclusion, and as with all CEPOL activities, participants were given the opportunity to provide evaluation and recommendations.
