INVESTIGATION:
The main part of studying the crime scene is investigation. Investigation at the crime scene becomes effective and the findings of investigation can be reported with accuracy when using the 5W1H method for investigation at the crime scene. As a popular Cameroonian proverb says, "he who asks the question can’t avoid the answer." So is the case with the 5W1H method, which focuses on the questions seeking solutions to the investigation outcome. This 5W1H is also called the 6 cardinals of investigation, which are interrogative pronouns; mainly, what, where, who, when, why, and how.
The 5W1H method in crime scene investigation focuses mainly on the following questions:
What offence has been committed?
Where was the offence committed?
When was the offence committed?
Who committed the offence?
Why was the offence committed?
How was the offence committed?
The 5W1H method entails
"What" deals with the question, "What happened? It means it deals with the happening at the scene and studies the Actus Reus, that is, whether an act is committed or not, and what act is committed; it encourages gathering the facts related to things done by the people involved in the happening.
"Where" deals with the place of occurrence that is also called a "Scene of Crime" (SoC) or "Scene of Occurrence" (SoO) or "Crime Scene. It can be classified in various ways, such as primary and secondary, because a sequence of events can take place in several locations and there can be interrelations between them.
"When" talks about the time of occurrence. It answers the question, "When did it happen?" and tells us about the date and time with the help of various techniques.
"Who" tells us about the person who has committed the offence. It seeks information about people who are directly or indirectly associated with the incident. These people can be offenders, victims, or witnesses.
"Why" deals mainly with mens rea, that is, guilty mind or intention. It gives the cause of the incident or the background of what is happening. It tells us about the motive for acting in the way they did.
"How" will provide facts about the incident, which will tell the flow of events. It mainly discusses the process and linkage of people, objects, and happenings.
This all leads to an efficient and precise investigation at the crime scene. For example,
In the case of a scene where a body is found with a knife in the jungle, the first question is, what happened to the body? Is it murder or an attack by a wild animal? Then the second question is, where did it occur? Is the body thrown there from any other place or has any animal brought it there? followed by a question asking the time of occurrence, whether it has occurred before a day or two or is it an old one. And once you get it with all the details, then the question arises, who did it? And if they did, then why did they? And most importantly, is asking in what sequence the events occurred?
It is often useful to determine the actual course of a crime by limiting the possibilities that resulted in the crime scene, which can be understood by using the 5W1H method. It focuses on getting information on the Modus Operandi, Actus Reus, linkage of persons and objects, Corpus Delicti, and intention (Mens Rea). So, proper crime scene investigation is the starting point for the process of solving criminal cases.
References:
1. (2022). Retrieved 18 August 2022, from https://www.slideshare.net/.
2. (2022). Retrieved 18 August 2022, from https://www.slideshare.net/.
3. Bell, S., Nordby, J., & Bell, S. (2012). Forensic Science. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
4. Lee, H., Palmbach, T., & Miller, M. (2007). Henry Lee's crime scene handbook. Amsterdam [etc.]: Elsevier/Academic Press.
5. Ogle, R., & Plotkin, S. Crime scene investigation and reconstruction.
Written By:
Shruti Babasaheb Khairnar
Volunteer at AFRS
