A police investigation is the work done by officers after a report of a crime to determine if that offence has been committed and identify the suspect or offenders. Police investigations will follow specific procedures set out by their force. The scope of the investigation will depend on the seriousness and complexity of the crime but should include, at least, following all reasonable lines of enquiry in order to gather sufficient evidence for a prosecution to be brought.
For more serious crimes, a specialist officer may be assigned to investigate the crime scene. These detectives will examine the crime scene for physical evidence, such as weapons, blood stains and fibres, and take photographs and measurements. They may also send samples away for laboratory testing.
Once they have the physical evidence they need, they will begin to question witnesses, who are people who tell what they saw, heard or otherwise experienced at a particular time and place. They will be asked questions about the offence, and they will be fact checked to make sure that their statements are true.
Criminal investigators learn through the process of experience, analyzing past investigations to see what worked and what didn’t, which can help them develop better techniques in their future investigations. They also study the behaviour of criminals, known as their modus operandi – for example, professional criminals often stick to a certain way of doing things or leave a trademark (such as fingerprints) on booty or items they have stolen.
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