Focus On... Crime Scene Investigation - 'more than meets the eye'

Mark Walsh | Principal CSI

Hi all – hope you enjoyed Phill’s blogs last week. If you missed them you can read them using the links on the right-hand side of this page.

Right, back to the blog…

Forensic evidence is the main tool for solving crime for all police forces. But we don’t always walk away from a scene with forensic evidence that will identify an offender. Physical evidence is not the only thing we are looking for. We also assess how crimes are committed and from that can link scenes and identify offenders through similar offences. 

Vehicle crime is a great example. Say several cars have been broken into. CSIs may only find good forensic evidence at a few of the scenes but due to other circumstances (we can’t tell you this bit, sorry!) we can double check fingerprint lifts against other scenes and solve more than one crime at a time.

Recently we got a DNA match on an offender in relation to a vehicle crime who then admitted over 30 similar offences even though no evidence was obtained at some of the other scenes – a good result. 

Of course a CSI would prefer to find evidence at all of the scenes they attend – this is something that you, as potential victims, can certainly help with. Preserving scenes is absolutely essential, giving us the best chance to find the proof we need to bring offenders to justice.

We do know how distressing being the victim of a burglary can be.  If you are unfortunate to find yourself in this situation, the best action you can take to assist us is:

• try to identify where and how the burglar got in    
• look at what items have been moved - this will establish which rooms have been entered and searched
• do not to touch anything – if you have to move items let the CSI know on their arrival - but please be aware, touching items may mean forensic opportunities are reduced
• contrary to what you see on the TV, picking up items with cloths and gloves can wipe off fingerprints
• check to see if the burglar dropped an item of their own property – are there items in your house you do not recognise?

When you call 999 or 101 our Control Room call handlers will give you scene preservation advice. However, often a victim will be too upset or shocked to take that advice on board, and we understand it is natural to want to search through your belongings to see if anything has been taken. But if I can give you one piece of advice to help us make sure we have the best possible chance of bringing someone to justice, it is this: 

All CSIs have undergone excellent training and will be looking for a large range of forensic opportunities dependant on the crime and the circumstances. We are highly effective and thorough and usually conduct burglary scene searches in less than an hour. That means you are then free to clean up, repair damage and find out exactly what has been stolen so you can inform the investigating officer and your insurance provider. So please help us help you and try not to touch anything if you can.

I’d like to tell you a bit more about our team and what we deal with if I may. 

Our department forms part of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, I believe the second largest directorate of its kind in the UK. From criminal damage to murder scenes, we are trained to cope with whatever is required.

We even get involved in unsolved murders and rapes from many years ago and part of the department’s function is to review all forensic evidence and look for new leads that may identify an offender. With the development and refinement of DNA, murders and rapes which were thought to be undetectable are looked at again and new techniques in the world of forensics can result in successful convictions of people who have never even been in trouble with the police before

Other rapes and murders have been solved by re-analysing extracts taken from victims’ clothing over 20 years ago. Sometimes very small but significant amounts of DNA have resulted in offenders being identified – something even the scientists at the time would not have dreamed possible.

Looking for new forensic leads to solve historic cases has to be one of my favourite parts of the job. Most of the cases are from the 1980s when DNA was in its infancy as a crime fighting tool and it cost a fortune to use. Just a couple of tests could cost many thousands of pounds - a result may have taken many months to come back and there was no database to compare the results, unlike the facilities we have now. 

To identify offenders from crimes which occurred before I even joined Kent Police is one of the most satisfying feelings you can get from a professional perspective, coupled with the fact that the victims, or victims’ families can begin to get closure on a crime that has haunted them for years.

To be able to delve into these historic cases we need the help of the Kent Police Cold Case Investigation Team. To give you some insight into the fascinating work this team carries out they will be up next in our Focus on… series. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading.

Mark

Focus on... Crime Scene Investigation - everyone wants to be a CSI

Mark Walsh | Principal CSI

Hi all,

I’ll start with a little info about myself if I may. I’ve been a CSI since 1991 and since then I’ve progressed to become a Principal Investigator. While it is still a technical role, I also help
with the management of the CSI function to make sure it runs efficiently.

All the work we do, meticulously covering scenes to find evidence, would be wasted if there were no forensic scientists available to examine it. A large part of my role over the last two years has been working to secure new providers to carry out this work for us. It is yet another myth that police forces have scientists in a basement lab waiting to be passed evidence from CSIs (as seen on TV). In fact most is carried out by specialist external companies. By reviewing our providers we have been able to save millions of pounds whilst maintaining the high standards required. 

Recruitment into the team also forms a large part of my role. Everyone wants to be a CSI and I get numerous requests a week, sometimes a day, from people who are interested. The job is not always what people expect – TV doesn’t help this either - and with the shift patterns and distressing crime scenes, a lot of people decide it isn’t for them. 

In this job you cannot predict what will happen next. One minute you could be attending a theft from a vehicle and the next you may have to go to a harrowing scene and end up working long hours on a serious investigation. 

To prepare our investigators for what’s involved; all our staff undertake a comprehensive training programme to make sure they fully understand the role before they go out into the field.

Richard Hunt | CSI Trainer

 

Hi, I’m a trainer here at the Kent Police Training School, where the majority of both our theory and practical sessions are held. We have a purpose built ‘street scene’ containing a Post Office, Estate Agents, pub and houses. They are all set up in the same way as real businesses which really helps our budding CSIs get to grips with scenes that they will attend when they’re in post. The ‘street scene’ gives us the opportunity to create complex scenarios across multiple locations as well. 

We also have a few disused vehicles that we plant evidence in and grassy areas that our CSIs recruits can cordon off and split into sections so they can hone their searching skills.

When recruiting, the trend is to generally source candidates who have already obtained a forensic science degree. With their wealth of theoretical knowledge, our job is to help them convert it into the practical skills required to effectively examine a crime scene. 

In contrast, some of our applicants are already in the policing family and can bring skills and attributes from their previous roles such as excellent communication as well as good recording and searching skills. Their grasp of police speak and procedures can often be a great help too.

Either way our trainers are here to make sure all recruits successfully pass the training programme and have all the skills and determination they need to become a great Crime Scene Investigator.

The long and often unsociable hours do not suit all, but the rewards and the sense of justification I get when an offender is jailed due to evidence I’ve collected is why I return every day and the reason I love my job.  

That’s all for today, tomorrow we’ll let you know about some of the ways we collect evidence, how you can help if you ever find yourself a victim of burglary and talk more about our work with colleagues in the Cold Case Investigation team.

Thanks for reading,

Mark & Richard

Focus on... Crime Scene Investigation - 'you have to detach yourself from the reality'

Crime Scene Investigator

Phill Pemble

Afternoon all.  Here is another snapshot of the daily work of a CSI. 

I went back to the scene I had left the day before (if you remember, it was an allegation of rape) and took more pictures as the light was much better.

With no more jobs on the work-list I submitted evidence from previous jobs to the lab. I had managed to obtain DNA from clothing of a recent assault victim so I sent that in for analysis. I also sent off some plants that had been recovered from a scene to confirm that they were in fact cannabis and to calculate the potential street value – something that can affect the length of sentence given to drug dealers/producers. I also submitted syringes and other drug paraphernalia for DNA examination. 

Evidence submission came to an abrupt stop when I was asked to attend a burglary scene. A garage at a house had been broken into with an item stolen. Despite searching I could not find any forensic evidence but I spoke to the owners and showed them how this particular incident happened so they could protect against it in the future. I then passed the job back to officers so they could make witness enquiries in the nearby area. 

Back in the office the day quietened down and I carried on with my paperwork – not very exciting but we have to make sure all the proper processes are followed.  

The next day 

Once again the phone was ringing as I walked through the door with a request to attend a sudden death involving a child. As with all instances of sudden death, they can be explained by a range of scenarios, but it is my responsibility to check the scene and eliminate any concerns over the cause. It is important we attend to rule out any involvement by a third party. I gathered the evidence and returned back to the office. 

Next on the list: offenders who had gained entry to a home and stole various items. I managed to recover fingerprints which I really hope will help put a name to the burglar/s. Later I was passed items by officers that were left at another scene and I logged them for testing. You can only hope that in the offender’s hurry to leave they have left proof of who they are. 

What I’ve described to you is a pretty standard week in the life of a Crime Scene Investigator. I hope this has given you an insight into the range of jobs and scenes we attend. Our role is a really important part of the investigative process and we cannot afford to leave any stone unturned. Even the smallest piece of evidence might be the key to a conviction and taking a dangerous criminal off the streets so they cannot continue to harm other people.  

I’m now off for a few well-earned rest days…  

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading. The next blog is from our principal investigator who will be letting you know about what you can do to help us if you ever find yourself a victim of crime. 

Thanks everyone,

Phill

Focus on...Crime Scene Investigation - 'the highs and lows'

Phill Pemble - CSI

Hi all,

So a typical day… not sure there’s such a thing for a CSI but here goes;

(I’ve removed all references to date, time and location in case any investigations are on-going and to prevent victims from being identified)

I literally got through the door of the office as a Detective Sergeant (DS) came in to let me know of a sudden, unexplained death.

Someone had stopped breathing, paramedics were in attendance and although they made every effort to resuscitate, they had not been successful. As we had details on the individual and knew some of their history, there were some concerns as to the cause of death. I rushed down to the scene along with the local DS and DI (Detective Inspector) and started the examination. During this time other officers began their neighbourhood and family enquiries. 

As always, the first thing I did was photograph the scene before taking a closer look at the body. This obviously isn’t a nice part of my job but it has to be done. If it was a relative of mine I would want to know that the police had done everything they could to determine what had happened. In this case I did not find any suspicious circumstances, so I passed the investigation over to the local coroner. We located some drug taking paraphernalia at the scene which officers seized so they could find out who had used it and what drugs were involved.

Shortly afterwards, I moved onto a shed break-in. With incidents like this I speak to the victims first to establish the circumstances. They were able to show me how they believed the offender did not activate their security light. I took the evidence back to the lab for analysis and spoke to the victims again about extra home security measures they could put in place to help them feel safer and reduce the risk of being targeted again. Any hits from my evidence is fed back to the officer investigating the crime and, if appropriate, shown to the Crown Prosecution Service to help put offenders before the courts.

Another job came in, this time a very difficult one. We received a report of an alleged rape. I know the effect that this type of crime can have on victims having spoken to many over the years so I pay extra attention to even the smallest detail, sometimes it’s all that’s needed to secure a conviction. 

Officers on patrol quickly arrived at the home of the person who made the report to obtain a statement and I sealed off the area where it was reported to have happened and began searching. With reports like this I could be looking for a range of things, so the available light is a huge issue. It was getting dark quickly so I made the decision to leave and return again in the morning.  

Before I leave you for today, I would like to mention crime scenes and the taped off areas you may come across from time to time. 

Please don’t be alarmed when you see this. Even if a CSI is not there, you will see a police car or officer patrolling just to make sure no one tampers with the scene. I will seal off areas

for a range of offences from drug taking to assaults; some may stay up longer because of diminishing light, workloads, dense areas and so on.

They may look alarming but it is critical we make sure any evidence is located so our officers have the best possible
opportunity to bring an offender to justice.

Thanks for reading.  Tomorrow’s blog – ‘you have to detach yourself from the reality’

Phill

Focus on...Crime Scene Investigation - '12 years at a glance'

Victim's burnt out vehicle

Phill Pemble | Crime Scene Investigator

Afternoon,

Hope you all had a nice evening yesterday.

I have a few memorable jobs from the last 12 years, too many to go in to fully, but the main ones that stick in my mind are:

Jan 2006 – the murder of a couple at their home in Swale

Footprint in the property

I spent nearly two weeks at the main crime scene piecing together what had happened. It was winter, and freezing cold, but both my colleague and I worked tirelessly and managed to produce a computer generated reconstruction. 

We painstakingly covered every inch of the scene to find fingerprints, shoe-marks and DNA evidence. 

Together with the reconstruction the court and jury were shown what happened on that day. It later secured the conviction of a local man and a jail term of two life sentences.

Footprint in the snow

 

See part of the reconstruction that showed the jurors how the offender gained access to the property - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fosdWH4wMcI

Feb 2012 – fatal industrial accident

An unmanned fishing boat was recovered near Whitstable, having nearly collided with another vessel. RNLI were tasked with searching the area as were RAF search crews. A body of a man was later recovered from the sea near to where the boat was found. 

As our officers had identified that a second man was supposed to be on-board the vessel I worked with our marine unit to examine the boat in case a crime had been committed while others searched for the missing person. 

This was an unusual crime scene and I learnt a lot from the experience. Unfortunately the second man’s body was later recovered in the Thames Estuary.

 

February 2006 – Tonbridge robbery

A huge case for Kent Police. If you managed to not catch this on every news channel at the time, a group of offenders wearing latex masks and dressed as police officers kidnapped an employee and his family before gaining access to a cash depot and stealing £53million. This was a serious and organised crime involving kidnapping and live firearms which is not something we usually come across in Kent. 

Although not involved in the main crime scene, I was tasked to

work on several additional ones. I examined cash and bags that had been recovered by our officers following the robbery itself, as well as one of the vehicles used by an offender and a vehicle used to hold the staff member's family. 

Evidence collected included DNA on a cigarette butt found at the bottom of a black bin liner that matched one of our suspects, DNA on ripped up latex masks that also placed two more at a scene, and a mobile phone covered in fingerprints, securing the conviction of three offenders.

Seven people were convicted in total and jailed for 183 years combined. Forensic evidence is always crucial - through thorough searches and detailed scene preservation our findings in this case in particular proved vital, a great success for our team.

July 2010 – methamphetamine production in a residential garage in Whitstable

This again was unusual for Kent and after the find was located, I worked alongside other specialist agencies including the Serious and Organised Crime Agency’s Hazardous Lab team and Kent Fire & Rescue Service to dismantle the production facility. 

Meth ingredients are often toxic and volatile, for example acids, red phosphorous and ammonia, and we all needed to take extreme care to ensure the safety of not only ourselves but the surrounding residents before deeming the area usable again. 

Coming up tomorrow - a day in the life of a CSI. I’ve put together a few blogs to give you a real insight into a typical day. 

Phill

Focus on...Crime Scene Investigators - 'CSI Miami doesn't come close'

Phill Pemble | Crime Scene Investigator 

Joined Kent Police 2001 

‘CSI Miami doesn’t come close!’ 

Hi everyone, 

I’ve been a CSI at Kent Police for nearly 12 years now and I really enjoy my role. I think it’s fair to say that the public are fascinated by the work I do, mainly due to the numerous television programmes showing how glamorous it is all supposed to be. However, the reality is very different! 

So… if you would like a true insight into the job, let’s go. 

A week usually starts off with a few late shifts (2-11pm), followed by some day shifts (10am-7pm) and culminating with early turns (7am-4:30pm). We also provide out-of-hours cover for serious or major incidents. It is rare that I am tucked up in bed reminiscing about my day at 9pm as seen on TV!  

Our offices do not have muted lighting and steel worktops, it does not take 30 seconds to get a DNA result nor do we have a make-up artist on hand or walk around in lab coats. However, we do have police tape, pop-up tents and white paper suits and, on occasions, you will find us addressing colleagues by their surname, so I guess there are some similarities! 

Day to day we cover the area we’re based at (mine being Swale) and give assistance to each other when needed.  I attend crime scenes ranging from minor criminal damage, serious (and sometimes sexual) assaults, theft from vehicles and serious organised crime – whenever there are forensic opportunities, we’ll be there. 

When a call comes in to our Control Room they take all the details and tag CSIs if they believe there may be forensic opportunities for us at the scene. When I start a shift I look at the system that shows me exactly where I need to be and which incident I need to attend first.  I also have a work phone that I use to check for new jobs when I’m out of the office, so although my working day could start off fairly relaxed it can invariably end up far busier than first thought. 

Being a CSI is so interesting; no two days are ever the same. Interacting with victims and helping them through difficult situations is very rewarding. And of course the evidence I collect can be one of the main reasons a criminal is put behind bars - that is the icing on the cake.   

As with many roles within the police service there’s a constant learning curve as you encounter new situations. You need a calm, clear head, be able to empathise with victims, an ability to think laterally as situations may not be as straight forward as first thought as well as be able to communicate comfortably with everyone you come into contact with, from victims to coroners as well as senior investigating officers. 

Tomorrow I’ll let you know about of my most memorable jobs, including the infamous Tonbridge Robbery, as well as cases where our DNA and fingerprint evidence secured convictions for murderers and drug producers.   

I’m extremely proud of the work we do – seeing the relief on the faces of victims when justice is delivered and an offender is jailed always stays with me and is the motivation behind everything we do. 

Stay tuned for more… 
Phill

Focus on... awareness of stalking - digital and cyber stalking

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer 

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

I'm going to use this last blog to talk about digital stalking and cyber stalking, explaining the differences and highlighting the things you can do to help protect yourself online. Even if you haven't experienced it please keep reading as the information is useful for everyone.

Once again, I would like to thank Laura Richards for allowing me to reproduce her material. 

Digitally assisted stalking relates to stalkers who use a range of methods to stalk, such as social networking sites and email. Cyberstalking relates to a stalker who only uses technology.

Stalking rarely takes place at a distance - some approach their victims regularly. Research shows that those who visit their victim’s home, workplace, or places frequented by the victim more than 3 times in a week, are those who are most likely to turn violent. 

Because of this we must all remain mindful that most stalking now includes a ‘cyber’ or technology aspect and you should safeguard yourself against.

Some of the methods below are extremely rare but I want you to feel safer by knowing all the information.

The risks of technology - it is important that police, victims and the public understand how technology works, why it puts them at risk and what they can do to reduce those risks - something I train officers on regularly.

DO

• Google yourself to see what you can find e.g. your digital footprint.

• Change your passwords from a ‘safe’ computer e.g. a friend’s or trusted third party.

• Set up a new e-mail account and review privacy settings particularly on networking sites.

• Be careful about what you put online – always ‘err on the side of caution’.

• Tell friends, family and colleagues about what's happening, not to give anyone your e-mail, number, home address and to take care what they say on online about you.

• Keep a diary and take screen shots by pressing ‘Print Screen and ALT’.

DO NOT

• Assume social networking sites will ever be completely safe.

• Open e-mails/attachments from the perpetrator.

• Use easy to guess passwords like your name, pets, family, your school, favourite colours, or the same one for every account. Don't just change letters or numbers either.

Anti-spyware software - spyware software can be easily put on to a computer by the perpetrator sending an email, attachment or PDF. However, you can buy anti-spyware software or download it for free. Be careful not to use a fake product, always use a well-known and recommended brand. 

Mobile phones - if you are leaving an already abusive partner, assume that they may track you using your phone.

DO 

• Clean your old phone as it may have software or a tracking ‘app’. Save your photos, music and address book and then restore the phone to factory settings.

• Hide your caller ID and set a pass-code so your phone locks immediately after use.

• Keep evidence. Record voicemails and take pictures of texts in case they are erased.

• If you get repeat or silent calls contact your provider, who can send your call log to police.

• Consider installing a ‘whitelist’ app so you only receive calls from your contacts. A ‘blacklist’ feature can bar certain numbers too.

• Turn off your GPS as well as your ‘geotagging’ settings in the camera application.

Social networking sites - one of the most popular sites is Facebook. It is used by many people nowadays and it is a great way of staying in touch with friends. However, it comes with inherent risks, particularly as many people ‘friend’ those who they do not know.

DO

• Check your privacy settings and set them to highest level.

• Limit your friends – it is not a popularity contest and make sure those who are your friends are those you would be happy to tell information to.

• Be careful about what you post – think about what you say (changing relationship status), what you do (photos that give away personal information) or if you ‘check-in’ somewhere.

Account takeovers - this can easily happen, particularly if your stalker is your ex-partner. If they know your password they can log in and change it. It can be easy to guess people’s passwords too as most choose ones that relate to them.

DO

• Be aware of warning signs, for example e-mails people say they have sent, but you haven't received; money unaccounted for; new password confirmations being sent.

• Use multiple e-mail accounts – one for work, one for friends, one for banking etc.

and finally....

GPS devices on vehicles - these can be easily obtained online. They are devices that attach to cars and track movement.

DO

• Check under the car for a small box, attached by a magnet the size of a deck of cards. 

• Park the car in a safe, well-lit place.

Right, that’s all from me folks. If my work here this week means at least one person feels more confident in the process and comes forward, this blog has been worthwhile. I really do hope that you’ve found this useful and would appreciate your feedback on Twitter and Facebook.

Following the successful conviction I mentioned on Tuesday, one of our senior officers, Chief Superintendent Steve Corbishley, has said: ‘Stalking can begin with what – on the face of it – seems like trivial behaviour but it can lead to serious offending. Offenders often downplay behaviour and victims sometimes experience as many as 100 incidents before they report it.

‘One incident in isolation can seem unremarkable or irrelevant so our officers are trained to look at all the acts. The legislation is there to be used.’

Remember, please call us if you believe you are being stalked.

If you feel unsure about contacting the police straightaway but feel the need to speak to someone please call the National Stalking Hotline on 0808 8020 300. It’s there to help you.

I hope you all have wonderful, and safe, weekend and thanks for reading my blogs this week.

Martin

For more information visit www.digital-stalking.com

For further information about Laura Richards and her work on stalking and domestic abuse, visit www.laurarichards.co.uk

Focus on... awareness of stalking - what information to record

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer 

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hope you're all enjoying your evening. 

Before I start I'd like to reference a comment we received earlier today from someone who believes they're being stalked. Unfortunately we don't have any contact details for you but if you're reading this please meet with your local officer as mentioned, raising all that you have to me and ask that it is passed to your area's investigator. If you would like some more support and advice please call the National Stalking Helpline who can help too.

Right, back to the blog. I’d like to use this one to talk about the different types of information that a victim could record, information that could help bring cases to court and ultimately, offenders to justice.

Again, whether you’re a victim or you’ve never had to experience this terrible crime, please stay with me and read on. Whatever the situation, there’s no harm in knowing what can help.

I’ll write this as if I’m talking to a victim.

If you have reported the matter to police you may be given a diary to complete in relation to the case (if you haven’t already). This is a fairly self-explanatory document that asks you to record any incidents.

It is important that you try to record as much detail as possible such as the time, date and location of any harassment/stalking and what exactly happened.

It might be useful to record other information such as anything the ‘stalker’ might have said to you, as well as what they did. If you saw them, can you remember what they were wearing, what methods of transport were they using? What type of car were they driving, what was the number of the bus?

If anyone else witnessed the incident, consider asking for their name and contact details. If necessary, witness reports could help in court.

Also make sure that you sign, date and time your entries whenever you make them.

Please don’t forget, if you feel you are in immediate danger, always dial 999.

Last blog tomorrow,

Martin

Focus on... awareness of stalking - what not to do

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer 

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hello all,

Today is National Stalking Awareness Day, one of the many reasons why I'm writing this blog. Take a look online to see what people are saying. On Twitter? Follow #knowthelaw #usethelaw and #NSAD.

Right then, let’s move onto the dos and don’ts. This is not a definitive list but definitely some things to consider.

• DO - report the matter to police. 

• DO - contact the National Stalking Helpline for advice and support.

• DO - let others know about what’s going on.

• DO - keep records of what has been happening.

• DO - change your passwords regularly. This can be particularly important if the stalker is an ex-partner who may know your commonly used passwords.

• DO NOT - ignore it and hope it will go away. Research has demonstrated the persistence of stalkers.

• DO NOT - meet up with a stalker. This could put you at risk of harm, even if you know them. It may also be possible that other people try to make something of the fact that you have met them, jumping to the wrong conclusion.

• DO NOT - delete messages/voicemails or throw away items you may have been sent – these may be able to be used as evidence. The Criminal Justice System requires evidence and often what you think is irrelevant might be important.
  NOTE: If you are reading this and have already discarded evidence, don’t worry - it is still important to report the matter and there may be other ways to capture evidence.

• DO NOT - isolate yourself by withdrawing from using social networking sites, phones or e-mail.

• DO NOT - engage family, friends or anyone else to ‘have a word’ with the stalker. It is rare that such encounters are productive and they can make matters much worse. It might be possible that an offender can use such incidents to make counter allegations.

• DO NOT - listen to yourself or others when they try to minimise what is happening to you. Stalking is serious and blights people’s lives. 

• DO NOT - immediately change your status on Facebook or other social networking sites if you have just finished a relationship. If the stalker is an ex-partner this can sometimes make things worse.

What not to say

With the best intentions, people can sometimes give advice or make comments to victims that can have an unintended detrimental effect, advice that is also sometimes dangerous. Here are some of the most common that are mentioned to advisors at the National Stalking Helpline:

‘You’re being a bit dramatic aren’t you?’, ‘Are you sure you’re not being a bit paranoid?’, ‘I wish I had a stalker’, ‘If they were going to harm you they would have done it already’, ‘If you didn’t look at the stuff, it wouldn’t upset you’

If someone you know talks to you about a situation that is worrying them, it will probably have taken a lot of courage to do so. Try to support them, remember what you’ve read this week and encourage them to come forward so police can investigate.

Later this evening I’ll be writing about stalking/harassment logs and what information can help police investigations.

Thanks for reading,

Martin 

Focus on... awareness of stalking - REPORT

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hello again,

At a recent conference Laura Richards, a recognised expert on domestic abuse and stalking, discussed guidance for people who believe they may be victims.

Laura spearheaded the successful campaign to add stalking offences to the harassment act, a campaign that will potentially save many lives in the future. I am grateful to Laura for giving me permission to use some of her material for these blogs.

So, would you know what to do if you are suffering at the hands of a stalker? If the honest answer is no, please keep reading. If the answer was yes, humour me and keep reading as well – there may be something you find useful.

Being stalked or harassed can be extremely alarming and frightening. It is the repetition of the behaviour that makes it even more sinister. Recent advice issued for victims is summed up using the mnemonic REPORT – hopefully this makes it a little easier to remember.

• REPORT IT AND TELL OTHERS - contact the police and talk to your family and friends.

• ENSURE YOU GET GOOD ADVICE - talk to people with experience of this issue -  call the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 8020 300 or visit www.stalkinghelpline.org

• Be PROACTIVE – it is advised that you keep all messages, gifts, communications, letters, and preserve them. If you are followed in a car, drive to an area where you know there are CCTV cameras. I must stress however that if you feel in immediate danger you should try to find somewhere safe and call 999 immediately.

• OVERVIEW: KEEP A DIARY - log what is happening including the time, date and details. If you have reported the matter already, we have log books that we can provide. Once again, it must be stressed, if you feel you are in immediate danger, the diary is no substitute for calling the police on 999.

•  RISK CHECKLIST – once reported, the police will usually ask you questions in order to complete a risk screening checklist. If you think you are at risk, and a checklist has not already been completed, you can download and complete your own - see link at the end of this blog. Once completed, pass this to the police for them to consider.

• TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS AND NEVER MAKE CONTACT WITH YOUR STALKER - if you are frightened or worried, call 999 or go to a safe place (or both). It is advised that victims do not contact or respond to a stalker in any other way. 

    
Next up, the do’s and don’ts, the common misconceptions about stalking and advice on what not to say to someone if they think they’re being stalked.

Back again later this evening.

Martin

http://www.dashriskchecklist.co.uk/index.php?page=vs-dash-for-use-in-stalking-cases-by-victims

Focus on... awareness of stalking - the law

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hi again, hope you’re all having a good day.

I thought it appropriate to start with the specific law that covers stalking offences.

Before 1997 no specific laws existed to protect someone if they were harassed or stalked. Both police and prosecutors had to rely on a few existing laws to try and bring offenders to justice. That meant some offenders were charged with ‘psychological’ assault. When in court, prosecutors had to prove that the assault caused some appreciable psychological harm, which wasn’t always easy.

Many felt that the existing laws did not protect people enough, and as a result the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 was passed.

This Act was later criticised because of its tendency to deal with more minor incidents so on 25 November 2012, specific stalking offences were added.

If you want to read more about the legislation itself, there is a link to the Crown Prosecution Service at the end of this blog.

Harassment covers two separate offences:

•    'causing alarm or distress'
•    'putting people in fear of violence'.

These offences are subject to a course of conduct, which simply means there must have been at least two incidents. If there haven’t been two or more incidents already, police can consider using, where appropriate, existing offences and/or a warning to the offender. 

Harassment can mean an unwelcome verbal or written communication, sexual harassment, racially/religiously aggravated harassment, psychological harassment, threats and damage to property.

The new stalking offences sit on top of the two harassment offences I’ve just mentioned. The Act now lists the following, although not exhaustive, as a number of behaviours associated with stalking:

•    following a person
•    contacting or attempting to contact by any means
•    publishing material relating to the victim or seemingly by the victim
•    loitering in any place
•    interfering with any property in possession of someone
•    watching or spying on a person
•    monitoring that person using electronic communication

Importantly, the new section creates TWO offences relating to stalking. Where stalking which by its nature causes the victim to fear violence and; when stalking causes someone serious alarm or distress that has a substantial effect on their day-to-day lives, for example changing jobs, changing routines, moving house and so on. 

Last month Kent Police saw its first successful conviction under the new laws. A 28-year-old man from Dymchurch was jailed for 51 weeks and given a five year restraining order. The investigating officer said after the trial: ‘This man’s victim had reached the stage where she was terrified at what he would do next.’

Thankfully the new legislation helped end the ordeal for his victim.

Tomorrow I’ll be providing some advice if you think you may be the victim of a stalker.

Goodbye for now.
Martin

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/stalking_and_harassment/

Focus on... awareness of stalking

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hello there,

I’m Detective Constable Martin O’Neill, one of Kent Police's trainers. I regularly work with officers to make sure they are up to speed on the latest legislation so they can better support victims of crime.

In November 2012, when amendments were made to the Protection from Harassment Act, it became part of my role to make sure officers fully understood the updated stalking and harassment laws.

As it’s National Stalking Awareness Day this Thursday, I’ve decided to publish a short blog every day this week to help you understand the issues involved. So if you feel that you may be a victim, or know a victim, I hope this will help.

Here’s an idea of what I’ll be covering this week.

Later today I’ll let you know about the current stalking and harassment laws, explaining them as straightforwardly as I can so you know how we can help and understand the support that is available for victims.

Over the course of the week I’ll also post about what to do if you think you may be suffering at the hands of a stalker, things you shouldn’t do and why, information about diary logs as well as look at the different types of stalking, such as digital and cyber stalking. 

Whether you think you may be a victim of stalking or have never experienced it, please keep reading.  It might be that a family member, friend or even a colleague experiences it in the future. Hopefully you’ll feel better placed to help someone find the courage they need to come forward to the police and get the help they need.

Any victim of stalking will tell you how distressing this type of offending is - and no one should have to deal with it on their own.

If my work this week gives at least one victim the confidence to come forward then this blog will have been worthwhile.

Thanks for reading… stay tuned.