No abstract

No abstract

A growing body of scientific literature recurrently indicates that crime and forensic intelligence influence how crime scene investigators make decisions in their practices. This study scrutinises further this intelligence-led crime scene examination view. It analyses results obtained from two questionnaires. Data have been collected from nine chiefs of Intelligence Units (IUs) and 73 Crime Scene Examiners (CSEs) working in forensic science units (FSUs) in the French speaking part of Switzerland (six cantonal police agencies). Four salient elements emerged: (1) the actual existence of communication channels between IUs and FSUs across the police agencies under consideration; (2) most CSEs take into account crime intelligence disseminated; (3) a differentiated, but significant use by CSEs in their daily practice of this kind of intelligence; (4) a probable deep influence of this kind of intelligence on the most concerned CSEs, specially in the selection of the type of material/trace to detect, collect, analyse and exploit. These results contribute to decipher the subtle dialectic articulating crime intelligence and crime scene investigation, and to express further the polymorph role of CSEs, beyond their most recognised input to the justice system. Indeed, they appear to be central, but implicit, stakeholders in intelligence-led style of policing.

The evaluation of the self-heating propensity of a vegetable (or animal) oil may be of significant importance during the investigation of a fire. Unfortunately, iodine value and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis do not lead to meaningful results in this regard. To the contrary, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which does not measure the chemical composition of the oil, but rather its thermodynamic behavior, produces valuable results. After a thorough literature review on the autooxidation of vegetable oils, several oils with different self-heating tendencies were analyzed using a Mettler-Toledo differential scanning calorimeter DSC 25 between 40 degrees C and 500 degrees C. Analyses were carried out both under air and nitrogen atmosphere to identify the phenomena due to autooxidation reactions. Using DSC, it was possible to observe the induction period of the oil (when available), the three different exothermic events, and the autoignition temperature (relatively independent of the oil type).