No more ‘home clothes’ to be worn at crime scenes

by Christina Smith

Police officers who are tasked with collecting forensic and other evidence at crime scenes will no longer be allowed to operate in casual or ‘home clothes’.

This was one of the “day-to-day” changes in policy that was revealed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Acting) Trevor Bailey on the sidelines of the recently concluded Crime Scene Management course conducted by the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) and the Regional Security System (RSS).

The Assistant Commissioner said in order to advance the crime solving fight, the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) will be focusing “a lot on the line of forensics”.

Major Kerry Waterman

He said the change in dress policy will eliminate the possibility of cross-contamination of evidence which could affect the case when it goes to trial.

“When the officers attend the crime scene, how they dressed was not conducive to the forensic aspect of gathering evidence. You used to be seeing them in their home clothes, you will not see that going forward. You will see the officers, operating within the police cordon, wearing their white Tyvek suits, gloves and masks. We have recognized that that has been an area of shortcoming with collecting the samples to be analyzed. The integrity of the exhibits will be impacted,” ACP Bailey told SEARCHLIGHT.

The three-day course was facilitated by Director of Policing and Risk Management at RSS, Major Kerry Waterman and Chief of Operations at CARICOM IMPACS, Dr Andre Clarke and they disclosed that the lack of resources was highlighted by the participants in the course as a challenge when operating at crime scenes.

Major Waterman told SEARCHLIGHT the issue is not unique to SVG and officers were given guidance on how to make do with limited resources.

“This is one of the complaints that the officers had in that they did not have enough resources to do their job. This is not something that is unique to St Vincent, this is a worldwide thing. What you have got to do is to learn how to utilize the few resources that you’ve got and improvise, of course within the parameters of the law, to make things work.”

Dr Andre Clarke

As part of the assessment, the 26 participants were placed in a simulation which involved managing a crime scene where a gunman had opened fire at a party, killing one and injuring others. Major Waterman said the officers were expected to put into use the practical and theoretical knowledge they gained in the course, which included managing both in and outside of the cordon area, spectators and media, the packaging, transportation and storage of exhibits as well as safeguarding forensic evidence and exhibits. He said he believed that the RSVGPF, despite the limitations, are capable of properly managing crime scenes and he noted that with continuous training, crime solving strategies will bear fruit.

“We’ve worked with Forces all over the world. These police officers are very good at what they do and they do a lot with limited resources. At no point do I question these guys’ ability to do their job, it is to ensure that they are given the continuous training and resources to stay up to date with the current trends … the criminals are up-to-date with what they need to get things done.”

Dr Clarke said throughout the sessions, the point of the “long-term approach” was drilled home to participants. He explained that any slip ups or mistakes made during the evidence collection stage will amount to a win for the criminal element.

“You are building an evidential chain in order to secure a conviction at court. That is the end game. This is the start of a long journey that could take years. How you deal with this in the beginning will have a significant impact.”