Private Investigations

I watched a couple of programmes recently entitled “Cold Case Forensics” which featured Angela Gallop, a forensic scientist who was involved in such high profile cases as the Stephen Lawrence and Rachel Nickell murders. Absolutely fascinating how modern techniques and months of painstaking work unearthed vital forensic evidence that led to the successful prosecution of the perpetrators of these dreadful crimes, who had slipped through the net originally. Perhaps more importantly, it also led to those who had been falsely accused (and imprisoned) being exonerated.
So I was delighted to find this book in the library yesterday, and I basically spent today reading it. An absolutely fascinating account of her career over the last fifty years and the advances in forensics and procedures in that time. Several featured cases and it is incredible how often a successful prosecution can hinge on the smallest of fibres, blood spots or paint chips being discovered on a suspects clothing. Sadly, the book did end by warning that, in the past few years, cost has been a major factor in what forensic work a police force can carry out. It seems likely that sometimes a crime will go unsolved purely because there are not the financial resources to spend months looking for those tiny specks of evidence.
Because one thing was clear from reading the book - if you commit a crime, there will always be some form of trace evidence. To stand any chance of getting away with it, you’d pretty much have to wear a full diving suit, travel to the scene of the crime on foot, leave your mobile phone at home, avoid all CCTV en route or at the scene and then bury the diving suit and any weapon at the bottom of the ocean. Again, without being spotted by any cameras. Just sounds like too much effort really. And Professor Gallop has probably already developed some techniques to cover that scenario anyway!

P.S. Didn’t even realise it was World Book Day when I did this blip. Picture chosen more because I’d not left the house all day!