What happens at a crime scene?
Lets start with the prints!26105 PROCEDURE - CRIME SCENE FINGER MARKCOMPARISON & SPECULATIVE SEARCHINGVersion: 7 Last Updated: 09/07/09 Review Date: 09/07/12ECHR Potential Equality Impact Assessment: Low1. About This Procedure1.1.Finger marks recovered from crime scenes or developed /photographed by the Chemical Treatment Unit are submitted to theFingerprint Bureau. This procedure outlines services available toinvestigating officers from the Fingerprint Bureau and how theyshould go about using those services.2. Risk Assessments / Health & Safety Considerations2.1.Normal health and safety considerations apply.3. Procedure3.1. General3.1.1. Finger marks will only be accepted at the Fingerprint Bureau ifan occurrence number, or an explanation as to why anoccurrence number is not given, is supplied.3.1.2 Where finger marks are received at the Fingerprint Bureau andthe occurrence is shown as detected on the RecordsManagement System (RMS), no work will be undertaken as amatter of course. The Investigating Officer will be advised thatno action will be taken unless they specifically request it. Suchrequests should be sent to the Fingerprint Bureau via theappropriate occurrence on RMS.3.2. Suspect(s) Nominated For Comparison3.2.1 Officers should be aware that Fingerprint examination is a timeintensive process and that submission of speculative nominated'suspects', not supported by strong intelligence, has a negativeimpact on the ability of Bureau to provide an effective service toinvestigators.26105 PROCEDURE - CRIME SCENE FINGER MARKCOMPARISON & SPECULATIVE SEARCHING3.2.2 Officers must use an intelligence led approach to nominatingsuspects for comparison against crime scene finger marks. Thebelow should be used by officers as guidelines when nominatingsuspects:a) suspect stopped in the vicinity of the crime and informationrecorded on C12;b) suspect sighted in vicinity of crime and recorded on anintelligence log;c) provenanced intelligence log stating suspect is responsiblefor crime;d) suspect previously arrested for crime at same address /immediate vicinity;e) crimes either linked forensically or by a defined MO.3.2.3 Officers can request the comparison of suspect(s) fingerprintsagainst crime scene finger marks by sending a task to theFingerprint Bureau via the appropriate occurrence on RMS,stating:a) the Scientific Services Department reference, if known,otherwise the occurence number;b) the full name, date of birth and Criminal Records Office(CRO) number of the suspect(s) to be compared;c) the provenance / reason for the nomination / request.3.2.4 Fingerprint Examiners arrange and compare finger marks in ahierarchical order of apparent evidential value (for example,finger marks recovered from the inside of a stolen vehicle willbe compared before those from the outside). Once a fingermark has been identified to an individual, comparison work willcease. The fact that other finger mark(s) may remainunexamined will be stated on an Identification Notificationissued by the Fingerprint Bureau.3.2.5 This serves as 'primary disclosure' under theCriminal Procedure and Investigations Act (CPIA) and it is theresponsibility of the Investigating Officer to inform theFingerprint Bureau of any other work that they require to beundertaken, e.g. the examination of other finger marks againstother suspects etc.26105 PROCEDURE - CRIME SCENE FINGER MARKCOMPARISON & SPECULATIVE SEARCHING3.3 Speculative Computerised Searching (AutomatedFingerprint Identification System - AFIS)3.3.1 Finger marks suitable for speculative searching on AFIS will becompared against elimination (aggrieved, legitimate access,witnesses) fingerprints, if supplied, and also the fingerprints ofany nominated suspect(s).3.3.2 Any suitable marks which remain 'unidentified' after this processwill be speculatively searched on AFIS. There is no need for theInvestigating Officer to request that this is done.3.4 Resulting3.4.1 If finger mark(s) are 'identified' to an individual as a result ofeither AFIS searching or suspect comparison, after appropriateverification the Bureau will advise the Forensic Intelligence Unit,who will record this on RMS and pass the information to the IMUfor the appropriate OCU.3.4.2 Negative or inconclusive suspect comparisons will be resulted byBureau Staff directly to RMS.3.5 Terminology3.5.1 The Fingerprint Bureau uses the terminology below whenanalysing finger / palm marks ("friction ridge detail") fromcrime scenes. These terms are applied beforeany comparisonsare undertaken and indicate the quality / potential of the crimescene impression(s).a) AFIS - Sufficient degree of friction ridge detail present forcomparison and identification purposes. Also suitable forspeculative searching on an Automated FingerprintIdentification System (AFIS).b) SUFF - Sufficient degree of friction ridge detail present forcomparison and identification purposes. Not suitable forspeculative searching on an Automated FingerprintIdentification System (AFIS).c) FEPO (For Exclusion Purposes Only) - Sufficient degree offriction ridge detail present for comparison purposes,however insufficient for identification purposes. It may bepossible to compare such impressions against those on afingerprint form and exclude the possibility that they were26105 PROCEDURE - CRIME SCENE FINGER MARKCOMPARISON & SPECULATIVE SEARCHINGmade by that person. The only possible results from acomparison will be either NOT IDENTIFIEDorINCONCLUSIVE (see below). As such, marks analysed asFEPO are not compared routinely, but only upon specificrequest by the investigating officer.d) INS - Insufficient degree of friction ridge detail present forcomparison purposes. The finger / palm marks from thecrime scene contain too little detail to be of any use.3.5.2 To assist officers in their investigation, Bureau Staff also use theabove terminology to post a "Status" working sheet to RMS foreach submission received from Scenes of Crime or the ChemicalTreatment Unit. Officers should be aware that the "Status" iseffectively indicative of the "best" impression within eachsubmission and, therefore, impressions of lower standard /potential may well also be present.3.5.3 The Fingerprint Bureau uses the following terminology whenresulting the comparison of finger / palm marks from a crimescene against impressions on a fingerprint form. These termsare applied to crime scene marks after they have beencompared and so are the "result" for the person whose printshave been compared:a) IDENTIFIED - The same person made the finger / palmimpression on the fingerprint form and the mark from thecrime scene.b) NOT IDENTIFIED - The person who made the finger /palm impression on the fingerprint form is not the personwho made the finger / palm mark(s) from the crime scene.c) INCONCLUSIVE - The finger / palm mark(s) from thecrime scene may or may not have been made by the personwho made the finger / palm impression on the fingerprintform. It is not possible to give a definitive positive ornegative result.d) Unable to make comparison due to the poor quality of thefingerprint form. Some impressions on fingerprint forms arenot suitable for comparison. Results from the FingerprintBureau will make it clear if this applies.3.6 Elimination Fingerprints (Aggrieved, Legitimate Access,Witnesses)3.6.1 Officers are requested to obtain elimination fingerprints,wherever practicable, and submit them to the Fingerprint26105 PROCEDURE - CRIME SCENE FINGER MARKCOMPARISON & SPECULATIVE SEARCHINGBureau to prevent unnecessary AFIS searching and / orcomparison of non-offenders finger marks. See 26104Procedure - Taking and Submitting Fingerprints, Section 3.7.3.7 Fingerprint Identifications3.7.1 Full details of how officers should deal with fingerprintidentifications are set out in FPP 26116 Dealing with FingerprintIdentifications3.7.2 Specifically, FPP 26116 includes advice on interview strategy(Section 3.4) and on the confirmation of identifications afterarrest using the evidential fingerprints (Section 3.5)4 Roles And Responsibilities4.1 The Officer shall:a) provenance all suspect nomination requests;b) where practicable, obtain and submit elimination fingerprintsto the Fingerprint Bureau.4.2 Fingerprint Bureau Staff are responsible for undertaking comparisonsagainst crime scene finger marks, speculative computer (AFIS)searching and liasing with the Officer as necessary.5 Administration5.1 Investigating Officers should use RMS tasking for all requests and /or suspect nominations.5.2 The Fingerprint Bureau will strive to undertake crime scene fingermark comparisons and / or speculative computer (AFIS) searchingwithin the timescales stated in 26100 Policy - Scientific Services.6 Monitoring / Evaluation6.1 Monitoring the Bureau's performance against the Service LevelAgreement standards for crime scene mark processing set out in26100 Policy - Scientific Services is the responsibility of theSupervisory Fingerprint Officers.6.2 Evaluation of the Fingerprint Bureau's performance is undertaken bythe Scientific Services Support Units Manager.26105 PROCEDURE - CRIME SCENE FINGER MARKCOMPARISON & SPECULATIVE SEARCHING7 Review7.1 An annual review of this procedure is anticipated to ensure currencyand accuracy of the instructions provided.8 Other Linked Procedures, Policies And InformationSources8.1 26100 Policy - Scientific Services8.2 26116 Procedure - Dealing with Fingerprint Identifications8.3 26106 Procedure - Requesting Fingerprint Evidence8.4 Scientific Services Department Internal Procedure ISO/03:Processing Fingerprint Case Submissions (available from FingerprintBureau)8.5 Contact Fingerprint Bureau: 71-1162 or 71-2055.Origin: Scientific Services
