Collection of Physical Evidence

A. Investigation Kit
As per Police Rule 25.58, IOs are to be provided with an investigation kit which should consist
of the following:
1. One bottle of grey powder.
2. One bottle of graphite powder.
3. One camel hairbrush.
4. Folien paper
5. Finger-print forms.
6. Finger-print ink.
7. Appliance for finger-printing dead bodies.
8. One magnifying glass.
9. One fingerprint impression pad and roller.
10. One electric torch.
11. One knife.
12. One pair of scissors.
13. One measuring tape 60’ long.
14. One foot-rule 2 feet long.
15. Sealing wax and candles.
16. Formalin diluted to 10 per cent together with chloride of lime to counteract decomposition of
corpses.
17. Cotton wool and 1.5 yards cloth for packing exhibits.
18. Case diary book with plate, pencil or pen, carbon paper and the usual forms required in
investigation.

B. Collection And Preservation Of Fingerprints

Types of fingerprints
Patent Fingerprints window pane,
Latent Fingerprints Glass, Metal, Tile,
Plastic Fingerprints
C. Document at the Crime Scene
D. Digital Evidence at the Crime Scene
E. Computers and other Storage Devices
F. DNA
Blood Hair Earwax and Mucus Sweat Vomit, urine and faeces Fingernails
Saliva Pieces of tissue/skin Semen
G. BloodStain Pattern Analysis (BPA)
H. Explosive/Explosive Residues and IEDS
I. Arms and Ballistics
Collection, Preservation and Sending of Evidence
In order to minimize safety risks and contamination of evidence the following measures should
be followed while collecting and packaging the evidence:
• Every evidence exhibit must be packaged separately.
• Every firearm must be packaged in unloaded condition with safety on.
• There must not be live rounds in the chamber of the firearm, magazine or in the parcel.
• Every cartridge case and bullet must be packaged separately.
• Evidence submitted for Gun Shot Residue (GSR) analysis must be packaged in a hard box
instead of cloth bag or paper envelope. Layers of the clothes containing GSR must not touch
with the other layers. Clothes must be wrapped by placing a white paper sheet between the layers
of clothes before packing it in a hard box.
• For trajectory analysis, vehicles must not be washed or cleaned at all prior to examination.
Suspected bullet holes must be covered with white paper.
• Seals must be intact
• If a firearm is recovered from water or any other liquid, then the firearm must be submitted
with the same sample of water or liquid from which was recovered.

Chain of Custody
Chain of custody refers to the ‘chronological and careful documentation of evidence’ to establish
its connection to a crime.
All evidence has to be carefully and properly documented bearing in mind its peculiarities.
Maintaining a chain of custody requires the production and maintenance of written
documentation with a clear-cut timeline.
Any transfer or transportation of evidence also has to be documented.
This is to ensure that the evidence has not been contaminated, replaced, tampered with or
compromised in any way.
Witness Interviewing Techniques

I. Aims of Interview
The overall aim of interviewing witnesses is to ensure that accurate information is obtained
which allows for the facts to be determined. An investigation officer should not commence
witness with any preconceived ideas and conclusions in mind, especially at the early stages of an
investigation. It is possible that witnesses may give information that drives the investigation
towards a different conclusion than initially expected. It is therefore, important that an
investigating officer must keep an open-mind and be guided by the evidence.

II. Question Types In Interviews

Interview questions can be of various types. Those questions and techniques which are both
ethical and help establish the truth are mentioned below and include:
The ‘T.E.D.’ (Tell, Explain, and Describe) approach also known as Open-ended questions.

T.E.D. or Open-ended Questions

T.E.D. stands for Tell, Explain, and Describe. An effective witness interview can be achieved by
using a systematic questioning style consisting predominantly of T.E.D. type questions. These
are questions that help the interviewee to recall information. The effect of these type of questions
is to minimize any bias distortion or contamination of information that is obtained. Examples
are:
1. Tell me what-has happened here?
2. Tell me about how you got your injuries?
3. Explain how you arrived here?
4. Explain your job to me?
5. Describe the people involved in the incident?
6. Describe the car that drove at you?

5W+H (Closed Specific) Questions

5W+H questions are used to further probe topics that witnesses talk about. Since these questions
are sharply focused and elicit a short reply. examples of 5W+H questions are:
1. What happened when you left home?
2. Where were you standing when the car went?
3. When did you go to work?
4. Who sat next to you in the taxi?
5. Why did he ask you to go for the shopping?
6. How many trains are there before 7 am?

Closed Questions
Closed questions elicit a 'yes' or 'no' answer only. These questions, when unavoidable, should be
used after using T.E.D. and 5W+H questions. Some examples of closed questions:
1. Did you go into the house?
2. Have you been to the house before?
Order of Question Types
The most effective use of these question types is to start with TED questions. Then move onto
5W+H questions. Use closed questions as a last resort and where possible they should be
avoided.

III. Types of Questions To Avoid in Interview

Avoiding Leading Questions
Avoid Optional Questions
Avoid Multiple questions should also be avoided. For example, the question ‘What time did you
leave the home and who were you with?

Taking Notes During Investigation

Note taking is an acquired skill Time does not permit word to word transcript of events. Select
key facts and record them in abbreviated form. Write brief, understandable and abbreviated notes
that others will be able to understand. Do not devise your own “Shorthand language.” Be specific
Ensure clarity.
The notes should be done in a chronological order and should include no opinions, no analysis,
or no conclusions. Just the facts. The crime scene investigator should document what he/she
sees, not what he/she thinks. The final report should tell a descriptive story. A general
description of the crime scene should be given just as the investigator sees it when he/she does
the initial walk through of the scene.
Who
Who were victims, witnesses, and suspects. Provide full description of suspect, vehicles etc.
Age, height, weight, skin color, hair color/style, voice, tattoos, and clothing Obtain as much
information as possible for victims/suspects including place of employment Make, model, style,
and color of vehicle if possible
What
What type of crime occurred. What damage or injury was caused. What happened. What was
said. What evidence was found.
Where
Where did crime occur. Where was evidence found. Where do victims, witnesses, and suspects
live.
When
When did crime occur If exact date/time not know develop time range. When were the Police
called. When did the Police arrive. When were suspects arrested
Why
Why was crime committed at this location. Why was crime committed at this time.
How
How was crime discovered. How did the crime occur. How was evidence found

Criminal Investigation Analysis

An important technique in the investigator’s toolbox is investigative analysis, the practice of
pulling together various facts and circumstances about a crime or a potential criminal situation in
order to develop a picture of who the perpetrator or suspect might be.

Investigative analysis today involves a lot more than just personality profiling.
There are three phases: first, the investigation, during which law enforcement uses the approach
to uncover links between crimes, describe the likely perpetrator, and attempt to predict the
likelihood of further criminal activity.
Second is the apprehension phase, in which the analysis forms the basis for deciding where to
look for the perpetrator, what information should be covered in a search warrant, and so on. And
finally, in the prosecution phase, the analysis becomes part of the case being built against the
arrestee.

Inductive Investigations
An inductive investigation starts with some kind of known fact. A suspect or an arrestee, a
documented crime, a citizen tip or complaint, etc.
Building on that initial data point, the investigator can broaden the scope of the investigation.

Deductive Investigations
The deductive approach to an investigation starts with more vague parameters, general
awareness of likely criminal activity or suspicions about a situation without specific allegations
or actions to work from. In this case, the complaint will not be about a specific action but might
be as vague. Like a gun threat complaint, an investigator can draw a virtual fence around an
address and look for other reports in the same area over a specified period of time.