The Police

The Police

The responsibility of the police is vital to any form of criminal investigation as they are generally the first public service that attends the scene of a crime.  The police, in the case of attending a scene were a suspected homicide has taken place, would call for assistance for the victim if it was apparent that they were still alive. The police officer who has arrived at the scene would be referred to as the First Attending Officer (FAO) and it would be there role and responsibility to cordon the scene off in order to preserve any evidence and protect the body from the environment, if the crime has occurred in an outdoor environment.  The role and responsibility of the police would also be to identify if any witnesses to the crime are present and take a statement from them which includes their contact details, the First Attending Officer (FAO) would also be required to report the crime to the police department in order for the relevant members of the criminal investigation team, such as the detectives and forensic scientists, to be notified and attend the scene.  The First Attending Officer (FAO) also has the authority to apprehend any individuals who they presume to be involved in the crime.  The First Attending Officer (FAO) will be required to give a statement that may be used in court.  The police would be the first stage of the criminal investigation process as they are in most cases the first public service to be called in the case of a criminal offence and they would potentially be called upon in court to detail what they discovered upon arrival at the crime scene.  This links specifically to the First Attending Officer (FAO) as they may have detained an individual who was behaving suspiciously at the scene of the crime and they could be on trial, therefore they may have to verify to the jury that the individual on trial was the individual that they detained at the scene of the crime.  The police, regardless of the form of crime that has taken place, will have the role and responsibility to ensure that the individuals involved in the crime are safe and do not require any medical or other assistance.  The police will also have the responsibility of interviewing any witnesses to the crime, reporting the crime, apprehending any suspects located at the scene of the crime and calling for assistance when necessary.  In the case of a mugging there would be no requirement of services such as a forensic pathologist as there are no individuals that are deceased.  The police would acquire any CCTV footage showing the mugging taking place, witnesses would be asked to give a statement and the victim of the mugging would also give a statement that details a description of the attacker.  The police, following the collection of the victim’s details, would ensure that they are called in to the police station to identify any suspects that have been apprehended from a line up or through looking at pictures of the suspects.