Incident Room

Stage 5 – Incident Room

This is the fifth stage of the investigation process however an incident room can be set up at an earlier or later stage in an investigation.  It will be located near to the place the crime was committed and in a location familiar and easily accessible to the general public, such as; within a library, school hall or town hall.

Incident rooms are only set up as a result of a serious crime, such as; murder, kidnapping, rape or the abduction of a child/children.  They can be used in small isolated communities where they can work with local police officers to follow up new lines of enquiry more easily, deal with information while being able to deal with community issues and concerns that may arise and monitor them.

It allows members of the general public to call in personally, witness statements to be taken and calls handled regarding the case on a dedicated hotline number that operates on a 24 hour basis.

It is manned by staff that are trained to operate the HOLMES2 (home Office Large Major Enquiry System), computerised software.  The HOLMES2 system assists the police as it has been designed as an investigation management system used for the investigation of serious crimes.  The HOLMES2 computerised software features; document management, workflow management, graphical indexing, record management, task management, exhibit management, research and analysis, disclosure management and court preparation.

It can be a source of new lines of enquiry that may advance the investigation from the intelligence and evidence gathered.

Although it can be a valid stage in the investigation process it is a stage that is not always used and therefore its importance in the investigation process is based on its use.

In the case of Aileen Wuornos no incident room was set up, however the general public would have been informed via the media or direct police appeal to contact the Police Department if they had any information regarding any of the homicides.