A Policeman's lot ........
A meeting of minds
“Model aeroplanes!” exclaimed the detective at a team briefing. The evidence gathered had indicated the profession of the murder suspect and the fact that he had an interest in aviation but a trawl through pilot licence holders had not progressed matters. When the occupation of the suspect was cross checked with a possible interest in model aircraft the a viable suspect emerged.
Nowhere is the team meeting more important than in crime investigation. Everyone at these briefings must be listened to. The mature case leader can be dependent on the probationary officer’s knowledge of nightlife in a city highlighting the necessity to use the combined intelligence of the room. Having officers from different ethnic backgrounds, sexual preferences and gender is beneficial to the understanding of perpetrators and victims.
Crime solving also requires attention to detail and meticulous record keeping; records that might come into their own years after the event. Good governance in the form of procedures that will withstand a well-resourced defence is also essential. With the results of an investigation almost certainly due to be tested in a court of law, carelessness is not an option. It's a scientific process designed to eliminate unconcious bias and use psychological expertise. Every step in the process is backed up by written guidelines and training.
?The team leader must be willing to listen to contrarian views and make the effort to speak one on one with officers to elicit that nugget of information that the participant didn’t think was important or was not confident enough to share with the meeting. Some of the best ideas are lost in hierarchical structures where the newbie unfortunately ‘knows her place.’ It goes without saying that cliques in investigative teams are the criminals’ friend.
If you were to apply the standards of a top class criminal investigative team to your next board meeting what would you change?
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In the 1970s young female officers were used as ‘bait’ for a serial rapist. They dressed in the typical fashion of young girls at the time and walked the streets in the vicinity of areas where attacks had taken place.?The officers had backup up support but with less than perfect communication's equipment it was a high-risk enterprise. The fact that an arrest could only be effected if the suspect put his hand on the ‘victim’ increased the danger for young policewomen who had rudimentary training from a colleague with some expertise in karate. They got their man using this ruse and when it was revealed that he had been released on licence having served time for murder as well as rape the true extent of the gamble became clear.
Policemen dressed as women were also used in the ‘honey pot’ strategy. There was a result of sorts from this ‘cross dressing’ exercise in that these men reported an increased awareness of the vulnerability of young women following this tour of duty. Many other crimes were detected along the way.??
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The winner of this year’s Irish Amateur Close had little time to celebrate his longshot victory and was straight back to work at one of Dublin’s busiest garda stations.
Garda Quentin Carew pulled off the stunning win at Headfort Golf Club and is still coming to terms with it having been priced at 200/1 at the outset of the tournament. Independent.ie Select a Date & Time - Calendly