FROM the grit of Silent Witness, the drama of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise and the award-winning Sherlock, most people have painted a picture of the work of police forensics teams.
But in reality the job for the dedicated forensics teams working in police investigations across the country is an all together different proposition.
In the launch of episode one of the Daily Echo’s podcast series, The Echo Dispatch, regional forensic coordinator Ryan Howell gave the true story for listeners.
Asked for his views on the crime scene investigators (CSI) seen on television, Mr Howell said: “It depends what you are looking at on the television.
“The documentaries for me are fantastic because they actually show the real side of forensics, of crime scene investigation.
“It really raises profile of the work our teams do and it is very true to life.”
He added: “It is a true reflection of what happens. The CSIs are spending hours upon hours on their hands and knees in their white suits, in the heat, in mostly unpleasant circumstances, surrounded at those sorts of jobs by death and blood and it is a true reflection and the process takes time.
“Where as if you look at the dramas, the very unrealistic.The only thing we would like is their improved technology and access to their Hummers because the Hummers are great. I don’t think they would do so well on the streets of Dorset.”
The ‘traditional’ kit used by CSIs to recover DNA and fingerprint evidence, like brushes, has not changed much in recent years over time.
Asked what the biggest change had been to the equipment used, Mr Howell said it was access to “reliable technology”, such as up to date laptops, which had improved the job the teams had been able to in their part of investigative policing and supporting victims of crime.
The South West Police Forensics team, a collaboration across four force areas, are never fully off duty, providing a 24-hour, seven-day, service to support their colleagues.
Discussing what it means to be part of a team that can solve a crime, Mr Howell said: “I love my job and it is the best job I have ever had, I wouldn’t change it for the world and that’s because of those rewarding moments where you find that piece of evidence that makes a huge difference.
“This could be on a very serious crime, some of the most serious crime we deal with in terms of looking at it from a society point of view, but actually the most serious crime to one individual could be that house burglary that’s an incredibly intrusive and personal attack on their personal life.
“Finding a fingerprint or a piece of evidence or some DNA that identifies who is responsible for that makes a huge difference to that person and the way they then carry on with how that affects them.
“There are different scales to that. It is really, really, rewarding finding any evidence that links someone to a crime or not and it really depends for me on the impact that has.
“Looking at how we fit into investigations in terms of importance, we are like a jigsaw piece. Sometimes we are the corner piece and that is where the investigation starts and sometimes we are that one piece in the middle that has been missing and it is under the rug somewhere on the floor that finishes the picture.”
n To listen to the podcast, search The Echo Dispatch on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or Google Podcasts, or visit bournemouthecho.co.uk
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