Specialist Departments
Specialist departments are usually within serious investigations, this meaning where murder has occurred or where the lives of the public are at risk. The best suitable role for a specialist team within an investigation is to develop an investigation plan, this being beneficial as it helps to move the investigation into a major crime forward helping it to progress. Specialist departments can take over the investigation from the police or decide to work alongside them, their roles are to plan out the investigation and also interview any witnesses within it. They stay in charge of the investigation until the end, during this time they attempt to gather as much information as possible so they are able to identify suspects within the case to enable them to soon reach the correct verdict. Explained on different tabs are the stage of the investigation, the specialist department would carry out these stages in conjunction with detectives if decided. Depending on the type of specialist departments used their roles can also change due to them needing to carry out the rest of the investigation, examples of crimes specialist departments may be involved in are terrorist attacks, abductions, bomb threats etc. Due to them being specialist departments they focus specifically on one type of crime, for example the bomb squad will only be involved in crimes where there is/ was a bomb present. If a specialist department is needed within an investigation this is due to more specialist investigation methods being needed, when involved in an investigation they are able to take the lead and able to organise the investigation this consisting of the investigation leads, the interviews and the methods used etc. Specialist departments ensure that no one’s life is put at stake or collateral damage is involved within the investigation, providing all the support necessary.
Roles of Specialist Departments within the Soham Murders
Two specialist departments where used within the Soham Murders these being the missing from home investigation team as well as the basic command unit. Both of these specialist departments worked alongside each other as well as working alongside the police; they decided not to take over the police as they ensured that the police department was still a vital authority within the case. All departments within the case of missing Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells focused on daily search parties to ensure there was a higher chance of finding both the girls alive, they involved the community in the searches and tried to get as many people involved as possible. The BCI focused on strengthening the case after the negative reviews where given to Cambridgeshire Constabulary, they focused on leading a good practice within the investigation ensuring that every step was followed through correctly to give them a bigger chance of finding the two girls. this would differ in other investigations as there may not be negative reviews towards the police department which would result in them not acting upon this. By these two specialists departments working alongside this case it ensured that the search for the girls was more wide spread and there was a higher chance of finding them. The missing from home investigation team ensured that all opportunities where met within the case this meaning, witnesses where questioned thoroughly and surveillance was looked through effectively, they also ensured that the media was highly alerted. It was acceptable for the media to be alerted within this case as people in the surrounding rural area were constantly aware of the seriousness of the case. The role of the missing from home investigation team would differ within a different investigation, as they may not always be involved with the media and the case may be left at a low profile. This would be solely dependent on the type of case they were working alongside, they may also wish to not have another specialist department working alongside them or the police which would result in the missing from home investigation team working alone throughout the investigation carrying out the procedures they deemed necessary.