The discovery of what DNA holds is celebrated every year on National DNA Day.

Due to be celebrated on 25th April 2017, it gave us the perfect excuse to look at how DNA has played a vital role in solving some of the worst crimes in Britain and how, decades after the crime has been committed, DNA technology is bringing perpetrators to justice.

Who Discovered DNA?

Deoxyribonucleic acid – or DNA as we know it – has been studied throughout the 20th Century but it was Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins who studied DNA using x-rays.

Franklin produced an x-ray that allowed two other scientists to work out the 3D structure of DNA, found to be a double helix.

In 1962, Crick, Watson and Wilkins received a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery. Rosalind Franklin had died four years previously with her role in the discovery not acknowledged until many years later.

DNA is used in many fields of study, one of which is in crime investigations. It is used in two ways: either to identify criminals with incredible accuracy where biological evidence exists at a crime scene such as hair, blood, skin etc. or to exonerate a suspect. You can learn more about this on criminology courses online, develop your skillset and knowledge.

DNA has played a vital role in many criminal cases, many of which are covered in the background of forensic science courses.

CASE 1: The Murder of Melanie Road

Advances in forensic science along with dogged detective work brought to justice the killer of Melanie Road.

DNA

DNA has played a vital role in solving some of the worst crimes in Britain

DNA analysis was not available at the time but police collected over 71 samples of blood, as well as several samples of semen.

Despite extensive enquiries, no killer was brought to justice. Until 2015.

The previous year, in 2014, a young woman was arrested because of a domestic violence altercation. As part of the arrest and charging process, a DNA sample was taken from her.

Melanie’s DNA was re-run in the system the following year and showed that some of the samples taken from the murder scene was a familial match with the woman previously arrested for the domestic violence incident. This led the police to Christopher Hampton, the father of the woman arrested and cautioned as part of the domestic violence charge.

Christopher Hampton voluntarily gave police a swab. His DNA profile matched the DNA of some of the blood posts and the semen found on or around Melanie’s body.

A few days before Christmas 2015, despite his not guilty plea and continual denials, Christopher Hampton was jailed for the murder of Melanie Road.

CASE 2: The Murder of Mary Klinsky

It is not just in Britain where DNA has played a crucial role in identifying and bringing to justice murderers and other criminals.

Mary Klinsky was described as a sweet 18-year-old but she was raped and killed with a blow to the head. Her body was discovered face down under a highway in the state of New Jersey.

There was significant evidence left at the crime scene, but in 1965, the ability to read and access this DNA information was simply not available.

In 2016, there was a breakthrough – DNA from the crime scene was matched to suspected serial killer, Robert Zarinsky.

But he was never charged. He had died in 2008 in prison, serving a sentence for the murder of a woman in 1969. Police also had evidence that he had murdered the previous year in 1968 and the information from the DNA samples strongly suggests that he was involved in, or carried out the murder of Mary Klinsky, too. How many more murders could he have been responsible for?

CASE 3: The Conviction of Colin Pitchfork

As part of Forensic Science courses, there is always more than a hint of caution, looking at cross-contamination in which results can be skewed, leading to false readings.

The rape and murder of Lynda Mann, and then another young woman in the same spot lead to Richard Buckland confessing to the crime.

A little-known DNA tool was used at the time – genetic fingerprinting – but no match was returned. The test was repeated twice but no trace of Buckland was found at the scene. He subsequently said that he has been pressured into the confession.

Crime Scene Investigator

DNA is used in many fields of study, one of which is in crime investigations.

 

He sent a friend in his place to give fingerprints but couldn’t resist bragging about it. He was reported to the police.

Colin Pitchfork was the first murderer convicted using DNA evidence after his fingerprints proved a match to those found at the scene of both murders.

Advances in DNA Technology

Students of Forensic Science courses will be aware of the changes and advances that scientists are currently working on in relation to future DNA technology. And it promises to reveal even more mysteries.

It is an exciting field of study – why wouldn’t you want to be part of it?

 

Crime scene investigators, also known as CSIs, are an important cog in the process of solving crime. Sometimes, perpetrators are not caught at the time but, as science and our knowledge expands and develops, many people who committed crimes decades ago are now being brought to justice.

To be a CSI, you need to be methodical, with clear and logical thinking when faced with a crime scene. You need to know what to look for but you also need to understand that not all evidence and not all clues are left in obvious places to find. Some clues can make little sense too but, these small pieces come together to create a bigger picture.

For those affected by crime, the results are devastating. People can feel unsafe in their own homes but knowing that the authorities are doing everything they can, is a shred of comfort. For many people, this is the motivating factor at becoming qualified with online forensic science courses, knowing that they can and will make a difference.

You could be the CSI at a scene that finds the pieces of evidence that links everything together, effectively solving the crime.

You-Can-Gain-Forensic-Science-Qualifications-Online1

To be a CSI, you need to be methodical, with clear and logical thinking when faced with a crime scene.

Studying from home – can it be done?
You would think that a forensic science officer would spend years honing their skills at university; some officers do but there are many scenes of crimes officers (SOCOs), CSIs, forensic photographers, ballistic experts and so on who honed their craft piece by piece, by studying various courses online and gaining experience in the field.

You too, could take this career path and work in a career that is fulfilling and exciting. But it is not for everyone. There are many crime scenes that are difficult to witness, with obvious signs of struggle and assault. There will also be some scenes in which the victim remains, and you will need to work in this high pressured and difficult environment.

But, with a comprehensive qualification underpinning your practice, you will have the skills and professionalism you need to process the crime scene, ensuring you note and bag all the evidence, take photographs of the scene and the various components within it – and do so correctly so that the investigation and any convictions are not compromised.

But can you study from home and still gain a forensic science qualifications online that are valuable and valued in the field. In fact, studying from home can bring many benefits;

Apply today and start studying today too
With home study courses, you can start them at any time so there is no need to wait until the stat of the next academic year.

Enrol online today and take the first steps to an exciting new career using online courses with qualifications.

Has your imagination and interest been fired by watching real-life crime shows or even some of the more well-written police dramas? Have you wondered what it really takes to become a scene of crimes investigator?

Crime scene investigation is important because hidden, sometimes in plain sight, at a crime scene are clues, all pointing to what happened, why and by whom. Finding and processing this information accurately is part and parcel of an investigation, which is why forensic scientists are an important cog in the wheel of solving crime.

Working at scenes of burglaries to more gruesome situations, you too could be an important part of solving crime. And with several online forensic courses to choose from, you can start working towards a new career today.

Choosing the right qualification
When it comes to studying for a qualification, you need to choose the level that is appropriate to your current level of skill and knowledge. This doesn’t always mean starting at the bottom and working your way up, even if you are starting to study a new subject that s entirely new to you.

forensic

You too could be an important part of solving crime.

What you do need to check before enrolling on any course is that the qualification has value and merit within the field that you want to work in.

There are many courses offered online and they are described as levels. These levels start at entry level, up to level eight, which is the equivalent to a PhD. Level 3 Diplomas such as those offered with some forensic courses, are the equivalent to an A Level. Level 4 Diplomas are similar to the first year of a degree. As you go up the scale of levels, you will be expected to take increasing responsibility for directing and managing your study, as well as widen your reading and research skills.

Support for any student at any level is key to successful studying, so don’t assume that because you are struggling with a level three course that you are not capable of studying further up the scale. The skills you acquire at one level of study will be needed at higher levels thus once you acquire them, further study can actually be easier!

Benefits of home study
In the past, home study or online courses such as those within forensic science have not always enjoyed a good reputation. The elitism that once existed in education has now largely diminished, with as much value and credit being given to those students who choose to study online and at home. Education and learning can happen anywhere, whether you are reading a piece of text late at night at your desk, on the bus on the way home or in a classroom.

There are other benefits to learning online and at home too, such as;

Applying for forensic science courses is simple
No one is going to tell you it is easy, working, running a home and studying as well as all the other things you have going on. You will falter and stutter, but you will also enjoy it, finding a whole new world, as well as skills and knowledge.

To start your journey to become a forensic scientist, take a look at what we offer. With many courses not requiring any prior learning or qualifications, you can enrol and start your journey TODAY! If forensic scientist doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, don’t panic – check out our wide range of online courses with qualifications.

Every time we move, breath, use or touch something, we leave behind a trace. It may be unseen to the naked eye but in a space that we have occupied, there will be evidence that we were there.

Knowing where to look and how to process a crime scene is part and parcel of what a forensic scientist does. When a crime is thought to have been committed, finding evidence is an important part of the process. The evidence that is found can form the cornerstone of a court case and so this is not something to be taken lightly.

People are convicted or acquitted based on the what the evidence tells us. It is a dynamic, fast-paced career, where no two days are the same. You can bear witness to crimes and events that are sad, difficult and unpleasant. You can make the difference to whether a crime is solved or not.

Forensic science – a wide area of study
If you have career ambitions to become a forensic scientist, you will start your journey to a new career with a ‘basic’ course that outlines the field. You will note it is a large area of study.

You will begin to understand why things are done as they are, order your thoughts as you approach a crime scene and become systematic in the way you work in an area. You will learn not to question the evidence but listen to what it has to say.

This is an important building block and like most careers of this kind, gaining skills, qualifications and experience is key to a successful career in forensic science.

The next step

Career progression is possible in this field of work which is why many people wishing to study forensic science courses will do so in an incremental way. In other words, they will build their skills and qualifications over time.

Once they have a broad base, they may then look to specialise in certain areas. Ballistics, for example, the study of traces left behind when weapons are fired, along with other weapons, is a specialism that some crime scene investigators have.

They can determine where the gun was fired, the angle it was fired at as well as any other evidence it leaves behind. They can determine where the shooter was stood and why the person was hit and so on.

They can also tell investigators what evidence they would be looking for on the perpetrator, such as residue on hands or clothes, maybe a smell as

The choice of how and when you study is yours, as is the pace you study at. This is true of all our courses and not just those in the field of forensic science courses.

The choice of how and when you study is yours, as is the pace you study at. This is true of all our courses and not just those in the field of forensic science courses.

well as blood splatter which, even though blood can be washed off, will leave a trace.

Why opt for home study?
Learning a new skill and gaining a new qualification can be expensive:

In some ways, attending college leads to a prescribed way in which to learn; lectures and classes are all timetabled and if you can’t make it… the only option is to attend, or fall behind.

With home study, you don’t have all these extras pressures. You can study when you want and, more importantly, when you can. You self-manage and direct your studies. You can choose to work when and how it suits you best. Some students prefer to set time aside and have a few hours at the books, so to speak, whilst others prefer to the ‘little and often’ approach, reading materials on the bus home from work, or spending an hour on an assessment in an evening or before going to work.

The choice of how and when you study is yours, as is the pace you study at. This is true of all our courses and not just those in the field of forensic science courses. Gaining forensic skills could open doors to all kinds of careers too.

Enrolling is simple and takes minutes
Within minutes you could be enrolled on one of our forensic science courses. Choose the course and the level that you are working at, opt for either paper or online course and then choose how to pay. You can take the plunge and pay in one lump sum or you can opt for pay monthly, with a small deposit to secure your course.

You can start your course anytime; there is no need to wait for the new academic year in September! And we offer great support too. Start your journey now…

Finding a murderer isn’t easy but there are key factors that can be used to help determine in which direction to look.

 

Every year in every country across the globe, thousands of crime go unsolved. There are stories of people living out their days, not knowing what happened to the loved one, with no one brought to justice for their murder.

Finding a murderer is never easy but there are some key factors that detectives and forensic scientists use to help them determine in which direction to look.

#1 DNA
The discovery of the structure of DNA in the 1950s opened up a world of possibilities. Like fingerprints, the DNA of individuals is unique to them. For anyone looking to commit a crime such as murder, attempting to leave little or no DNA behind at the crime scene would be their main aim.

That said, this is incredibly hard to do, from spit or beads of sweat, we deposit our DNA at a crime scene without realising.

#2 Relationships
Any detective will tell you that the first people they look to when a crime such as murder has been committed is to the people who surround the victim. The murder victim will often be known to the murderer with a minority of murder being committed by strangers on strangers.

#3 Location
Likewise, murderers who plan their crimes will choose their location carefully, especially where they commit the murder and how they can dispose of the body quickly and easily. Most murderers will commit the crime relatively local to them; if you are on the road for hours travelling back and forth, you will need a strong alibi if you become a suspect.

As a result, forensics and investigating teams will begin their search for a murder in the locality.

#4 Timing
The timing of the murder is important and will tell the detectives a lot about why and who may have committed it. Criminals who intend on committing a crime will plan it and thus, they will choose a time when their intended victim is at their most vulnerable. In most cases, this will be during the hours of darkness, especially the early hours of the morning. Very few people are moving around at this time, thus there is less chance of them being spotted.

Crimes that are committed during daylight hours are dangerous acts, skirting on the edge of being discovered in the act. This could mean one of two things – a sense of danger or exhibitionism, or an unplanned act.

#5 Evidence
Criminals, including murderers, tend to be caught not when they commit the act or with the evidence they leave behind at the scene but when they are trying to hide the crime themselves.

For example, discarding a knife or getting rid of a gun, or trying to burn a bloodied baseball bat. Some murderers will leave the weapon at the scene if they have used one because getting rid of it can be more problematic than choosing a victim.

#6 Blending in
Detectives as they attempt to uncover the identity of a murderer will leave no stone unturned. To the untrained mind, many people think that people look like criminals, or someone will look like a murderer.
They will often assume too that people will look guilty or give themselves away. The sad truth is that some criminals are so adept at criminal acts that their lack of compassion or guilt is not apparent – and a criminal will blend in with the people around them.

#7 Tools & equipment
Sometimes, the tools and equipment that a criminal may use in an act are the factors that can give them away. For example, a murderer may have used a certain type of hammer or other tool that is only available in certain stores etc.
With most shops having CCTV, it could be that the murderer identity is hidden in plain sight.

#8 Alibi
In order for someone to be innocent, they will need to show that they were somewhere else at the time the murder is thought to have been committed. This is known as an alibi and for some people, they plan this too.

They assume that their alibi is water tight but a detective team will comb every inch of where they say they were. Looking for evidence that they were or were not there.

And finally, the use of media
From social media, to newspaper to TV appeal, the police are adept at using a variety of means to appeal, encourage or psych out the murderer to come out of the shadows. By suggesting that they have all the evidence they need, and an arrest imminent, the murderer in their panic, could make a mistake that proves their down fall.

The team at NCC have joined in with Wear it Red day in support of the British Heart Foundation.

 

Wear It. Beat It.

The team at NCC have joined in with “Wear it Red” day in support of the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The idea being, that for one day everyone wears something red to raise awareness of the BHF and the great work they do, specifically in combating heart disease.

The British Heart Foundation are a UK charity, established in 1961 by medical professionals. The aims of the organisation are to research the causes of heart disease and help combat it through better diagnosis techniques and new treatments.

During 2015 and continuing into 2016, NCC are proud to raise awareness and funds for a number of charities, each focusing on a specific need. Some of these include Breast Cancer Awareness, Save the Children and the Steve Prescot Foundation.

Everyone in the office has strived to adorn themselves with their classiest claret clothing, with scarlet shirts, crimson caps and ruby robes some of the choices from the team!

NCC Home Learning provide courses to individuals and organsiations internationally, with faculties ranging from Heath Care, Teaching and Forensics to name but a few!

Popular television programmes can make some careers seem fun and almost frivolous, and forensic science is one of them.

 

Popular television programmes can make some careers seem fun and almost frivolous, and forensic science is one of them. We have the impression that people walk around in baseball caps, flashing torches and spotting minute strands of hair on a coffee table edge that is metred away.

The truth can be very different. Before you opt for forensic science courses on the strength of an American TV series or what you see on a British crime drama, make sure that you know exactly what you are stepping into.

It can be gruesome

Undoubtedly, there are times when a forensic science officer or Scenes of Crimes Officer (SOCO) as they are sometimes known, will see some pretty gruesome sights. This could be anything from a dead body to a scene of a crime where a violent crime has apparently taken place. Being able to deal with blood and other bodily fluids is important, along with the ability to process the difficult scenes you have witnessed.

Forensic psychology is examining the behaviour of and criminal acts committed by someone. This information is invaluable when the police are on the hunt for someone, and trying to understand the pattern of the crime. Often, understanding why something happened is important for the victims and their families too.

What other personal qualities do you need to have?

An analytical mind and a problem-solving approach are just two of the personal qualities that forensic scientists need. As people go about their daily lives, they leave clues in all kinds of places as to where they have been, why they were there and what they did.

The ability to uncover these clues and generate this information is crucial but often what can happen is that we can be swayed by some of this evidence. SOCOs present the evidence from the crime scene and not an opinion.

What does a forensic scientist do?

SOCOs and other forensic personnel assist legal proceedings by analysing the evidence given to them, including a crime scene and presenting this evidence to the police or another authoritative body. Some forensic scientists will also be called upon to give this evidence in court as part of a case.

It can be an exciting and varied career in which you could work in some interesting spheres, as well as criminal proceedings. There are times when findings are called into question and thus, it is not a job that can be done half-heartedly.

For example, at a crime scene, you will need to follow a strict protocol to prevent cross-contamination between one piece of evidence and another.

Not all forensic scientists work for the police like SOCOs do. Some people go on to work for private agencies and companies who either work with defence counsel (for court proceedings) or are used as expert witnesses. In other words, they are asked to examine a piece of evidence and to produce a report with their findings.

Training is essential

A good level of education is necessary for all kinds of forensic science work but if you don’t have the GCSEs and the A levels in the right subjects, there are ways of accessing courses that can ensure you have some of these ‘basic’ subjects and groundings in scientific knowledge. You may find that to progress further in this line of work; you will also need a degree in a science based subject.

You also need to be articulate, both verbally and in writing. Being able to communicate what you found in unequivocal terms is essential. Your words cannot be open to interpretation when you are providing evidence or information.

There are some practical skills. However, that can help with forensic work:

• Photography – close up photography that captures certain aspects of the evidence in detail is a vital part of what a forensic scientist will do.

• Attention to detail – there is no doubt that being able to concentrate and focus on the job in hand, for a prolonged period is also important. It can be many hours to process a crime scene or work on an object, carrying out various tests.

• Being fit and active – in most cases, being a forensic officer is not a job that is desk based or stationery. Travelling to a crime scene is common but not all of these are inhospitable, easy to access place. There may be times when you are working under pressure, and in a location that is far from pleasant.

Start your career and progress

This is an exciting field and one that many people choose to work in. Basic qualifications are a springboard into the profession, with many serving a few years in an assistant and supporting role so that they gain invaluable experience across a wide variety of aspects and forensic work.

With determination and the right qualifications, you can progress far within this field, becoming a member of the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners. This is the body that oversees the professional standards within this important field of work.

Find out more about becoming a CSI with our guide.

In summary

A rewarding career, forensic psychology and science are an area that attracts many people. With the right qualifications matched with the personal skills, you too could enjoy this job.

It seems that these days you can’t flip on the TV without stumbling across some kind of show about forensic science.

 

It seems that these days you can’t flip on the TV without stumbling across some kind of show about forensic science. Whether it’s engrossing documentaries such as Gabriel Weston exploring the history and development of forensic science on BBC4, or staples of the entertainment genre such as CSI, NCIS or Bones, these shows have done a lot for bringing one of the more thorough and technical aspects of criminal investigation to the forefront of people’s minds. This has led to universities and even ourselves seeing a huge growth in enrolment on forensic courses.

But what do these shows get right? And what do they get wrong? Below we’ve used our own detective skills to track down some liberties and some realities in how TV shows present forensics and criminal investigations.

Getting It Right: Method

For the most part, the criminal investigation in a film or TV show will be based on real-life processes and procedures that crime scene investigators utilise. How do they manage to get this aspect so right? Many TV shows dealing with the crime genre will often hire a former law enforcement officer as a technical advisor to ensure best practices of criminal investigation are observed. This might involve being on set to advise first hand or it could simply involve reading and editing the relevant parts of the script for accuracy.

Getting It Wrong: Fingerprints

When fingerprinting a suspect, they have to be taken very delicately in order to avoid smudging. One of the issues with police procedurals is the fact that perfectly formed fingerprints seem to be wherever the crime scene investigators look. For example, if a gun is the murder weapon and is left at the scene they’ll easily take a print off it, but when you think about how you would grip a gun it would be very hard to get an accurate fingerprint.

Getting It Right: Blood Splatter

When it comes to blood splatter, TV and film seem to believe that more is better. Occasionally they get it right though – Dexter, the TV show about the crime scene analyst/serial killer, was reasonably accurate at portraying the methodology and intricate recreation of blood splatter patterns from murders.

Over the course of his job, Dexter used red string to trace the paths of blood from source to end-point – calculating the intricacies of the crime which has been committed using his insider knowledge. The writers had obviously done their research.

Getting It Wrong: Paperwork

We get it – no one wants to settle down to watch a gritty crime show only to end up watching the hardboiled detective go through report after report at his computer for two hours. With that said, crime scenes demand intricate and in-depth documentation.

Crime scene photographs need to be submitted as evidence, diagrams of the crime scene have to be digitised and submitted as evidence, each item of evidence needs to be documented, then a report has to be written to reflect everything seen and done at the crime scene. With that in mind, two hours at a crime scene can create double that time in reporting rather than being out in the field and chasing down leads. Exciting!

Getting It Right: Procedure

One of the many reasons that The Wire revolutionised the police procedural show was because it took a case and built it up over the course of a season. It dug into the minutiae of building a case, collecting evidence and logging it all, rather than blasting through a new crime each episode.

In fact, the show got procedure so right that there were reports of real-life criminals watching the show to learn how to counter police investigation techniques!

Getting It Wrong: Technology

CSI seem to be under the impression that the police have access to futuristic technology that wouldn’t be amiss in Minority Report. To prove the point, one episode involved a member of the lab team using a handheld device in order to instantly retrieve a suspect’s criminal record.

The reality of technology at your locally police station is far less glamorous – their mainframe will literally just be a basic, albeit huge, database of information because that’s all they need and all they’re interested in.

Philosophy can be a hugely rewarding subject, helping to expand your worldview and develop intellectual skills and thought processes that can provide some guidance on how to live your life.

 

Philosophy can be a hugely rewarding subject, helping to expand your worldview and develop intellectual skills and thought processes that can provide some guidance on how to live your life.

Our Philosophy Diploma touches on some of the most influential classical and contemporary philosophers and below we’ve listed a selection of these great minds and thinkers:

John Locke

Known as the Father of Classical Liberalism, John Locke’s influence is pretty undeniable – as one of the first British Empiricist’s, he influenced a who’s who of philosophers including David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant, and his ideas on representative forms of government even extended to the rhetoric of America’s Declaration of Independence.

Rene Descartes

Viewed as the Father of Modern Philosophy, Descartes is a controversial figure in philosophy circles as he refused to accept the authority of previous philosophers who had come before him. He emphasised the use of reason in the development of the natural sciences, and pioneered the idea of Dualism whereby the mind controls the body but that the body can also influence the rational mind. Descartes is perhaps most famously know for the phrase “I think, therefore I am”, theorising that as thought exists – and thought cannot be separated from the thinker – then they exist too.

Immanuel Kant

Philosophy as a subject tends to be split into pre and post-Kant because his ideas were so ground breaking. One of Kant’s major philosophies was that fundamental concepts are the very structure of human experience and that the concept of reason is the source of humanity’s morality. Using this he aimed to resolve disputes between empirical thinkers and the rationalist thinkers by arguing that experience is subjective without being processed by reason.

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Coming from trouble and turmoil of a rich and influential Austrian family, Wittgenstein developed his philosophical ideas over the course of his lifetime – arguably doing a 180* turn on his earlier musings – which continue to be debated. His early thoughts, showed the application of modern logic in regards to metaphysics via the use of language – providing insight into the world, thought, language, and philosophy. In his later philosophies, Wittgenstein attempted to critique all traditional philosophy, including his own, and developed the idea that philosophy is not a doctrine and hence should not be approached stubbornly.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Shining brightly for a brief period of time in the 19th Century, Nietzsche’s work looked at theories such as achievement and ambition (characterised as the Will to Power), the Ubermench principle which asserts that every man should focus on the goal of advancing humanity, and the concept of Amor Fati and Eternal Recurrence whereby everything has happened before will happen again and we should embrace our fate. Nietzsche’s influence remains substantial in philosophy subjects such as existentialism and post-modernism and his work continues to influence modern day thinkers.

Forensic science is a field where precision and exactitude are vital. The developments which make forensics such a trusted and valuable resource in criminal investigations

 

Forensic science is a field where precision and exactitude are vital. The developments which make forensics such a trusted and valuable resource in criminal investigations – from the crime scene to the courtroom – have taken groundbreaking research and scientific work to discover and perfect. The technology and its uses continue to develop, and with NCC, you could become a part of its exciting future.

So, where did it all begin? As early as the 16th century, medical experts and academics on the continent were beginning to examine the way in which a death caused by extreme violence would damage bodily organs. This was the first time that cause of death was examined in this methodical and systematic way. It was a far cry from the forensic detail of the techniques that have followed it, but it was a huge step in paving the way towards more complex procedural discoveries.

The UK

 

Whilst those developments happened on the continent, here in the U.K., many groundbreaking techniques were being cultivated. In 1784, the first formative use of what would become Ballistic Fingerprinting was used in a criminal investigation – and was also one of the first examples of Physical Matching.  John Toms was convicted of murder after the torn edges of paper found in his pistol were a match for papers found in his pocket.

 In 1835, the first use of ballistics as we now know it was used by Scotland Yard. Investigator Henry Goddard compared the bullets at a scene to prove that Joseph Randall – the accused – had lied in his testimony. Goddard proved that all the bullets at the scene matched one another and would have come from the same gun, successfully discrediting Randall’s story of an exchange of gunfire between him and a gang of men.

Away from the police stations and court rooms, further technologies were being developed for future forensic use. In 1854, physician Richard Leach Madox perfected dry plate photography. This technique which bettered Daugerre’s version was heralded in forensic circles, as it made taking photos of inmates for prison records a manageable task. This would become crucial in keeping track of repeat offenders and was arguably a prototype for the Criminal Database.

The first major forensic developments regarding blood happened at the beginning of the 20th century. Karl Landsteiner won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of human blood groups in 1901, and his successor Max Richter adapted his techniques to forensic science through validation experiments. The developments of these two men formed the backbone for all subsequent blood work used to convict or clear those accused of crimes.

The 20th Century

 

The 20th century saw a surge of increasingly advance forensic techniques which only required tiny samples to determine an accurate profile, and were able to prove that the chances of a sample belonging to anyone other than an offender were in the billions-to-one.

Whilst the early decades of the 1900s saw the first murder in the U.K. to be based on fingerprint evidence and Calvin Goddard (no relation to Henry) perfecting the ballistic comparison microscope, the single most important technology so far came in 1984, at the University of Leicester.

It was Sir Alec Jeffreys, a research fellow who discovered a method for identifying individuals by their DNA, using the technique of Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). This system broke down DNA samples into segments, and the resulting restriction fragments were separated based on their length, using a stunning new technique named Gel electrophoresis.

Just three years later, the first major conviction based on DNA took place, appropriately enough in Leicestershire, where a man was convicted of two murders, using this remarkable new forensic tool as the central piece of evidence.

Forensics Now

 

Since then, DNA techniques have become increasingly more refined, and the cataloguing of forensic information has become more thorough, through systems like the UK’s NDNAD and America’s CODIS.

As with any science, the basics of forensic science and the ethos that created its developments are still key. The focus on precision, the thirst for knowledge and improvement and a commitment to justice have always been central to this field. From logistical matters like being careful to collect evidence without disturbing a crime scene to complex DNA analysis, forensics has always combined precision with progress.

Why not start your journey into forensic science today?