Trampling on crime scenes ruins cases – Head of Crime Lab

…results in forensic evidence being tampered with

The tendency of the public to trample on crime scenes in their bid to understand what has transpired or in some cases, loot the belongings of victims, is a practice in Guyana that can prove costly to the Guyana Police Force in closing cases.
Head of Police Crime Lab, Assistant Superintendent Ray Marcurius in a programme by the Guyana Police Force on Monday shared this position as he called on persons to desist from such behaviour.
In Guyana’s context, examining society and the culture, Marcurius stressed that swarming the scene for photos and other information becomes an obstacle in executing the Police’s work and to ensure justice for victims and their families.

“Most times, persons have this tendency that they want to rush to the location. They want to be there and see, put it on TikTok or Facebook. This now would harm the investigation. It makes it more difficult for the Police because you have to get the crowd back, rather than focusing on the investigation. A lot of time is lost focusing on the crowd when all the resources should have been focused on the scene itself. I think this is an area that we would benefit not as the Police Force but as a country to have that kind of cooperation,” he discussed.
Patterns of persons pillaging the belongings of those involved in incidents such as shootings, accidents, or other unfortunate events have also unfolded in Guyana. Reminding that it is an offence, Crime Lab Head appealed to persons to desist from such practices as they can impact the case.
“This is an offence and those persons can and will be prosecuted. In addition to the crime, the damage that they would do is much greater sometimes than the items that they would have stolen. A lot of times, evidence is contaminated at the scene; valuable evidence that may be able to solve the crime. That is where the majority of the disruption happens…It misleads the investigation, wasting time going after that the bystander rather than the real perpetrator.”

The Crime Lab Head detailed, “What you do is weaken the case. The Police would have less forensic evidence to present to a court and jury. You end up with a case that will be dismissed because of insufficient evidence.”
He has credited a “reasonably good” relationship with the media in respecting the cordons and boundaries of crime scenes but signalled that there is always room for improvement and support, such as educating the public on trespassing and securing scenes.
While movies and fictional series might give persons the interpretation that cases are closed quickly, Marcurius emphasised that building an actual case takes much longer.
“There is a certain due process that you need to follow…You have to build a case that would be able to stand up to scrutiny. That alone takes time. You have to work with several different agencies, wait for testing to be completed, and files that have to go to the Director of Public Prosecutions. There is a lot of steps that have to be taken to safeguard [the case],” said the Assistant Superintendent.
Since Guyana’s geographical makeup include mountains, savannahs, and dense forests, he explained that the Guyana Defence Force would lend a hand to reach those challenging areas to process scenes.
The law enforcement agent noted, “We have a good relationship with the Guyana Defence Force, especially in terms of transportation to hinterland areas. We would set up a team. They would have to be equipped with all the necessary kits. They would do the processing of those crime scenes. It depends on the type of scene you’re going to. There are a lot of factors that would determine how you would equip yourself.”
As technology improves, criminals also improve their “tactics”. This, Marcurius, underlined, calls for improvement in the conduct of the GPF and the approach to such cases.
“We are doing that. We have continuous training going on. As of present, we have approximately 70 ranks – new crime scene investigators being trained at the training centre. We have to improve our manpower and capabilities to constantly keep up with crime. It is a never-ending process.”
In Guyana, a number of specialists work with detectives to process criminal cases. It is a slow process, allowing for attention to details and factors which may assist investigators in closing the case and apprehending the perpetrator. In this case, securing the scene and collective evidence becomes of paramount importance.
“No crime scene investigation is exactly the same…In crime scene investigation globally, securing a crime scene is very important. You have transit evidence that are easily destroyed, such as fingerprint and not only easily destroyed but easily contaminated as well…The way our perpetrator leaves a crime scene could be able to establish a modus operandi. It is very important that those items at the scene is not tampered with,” he underscored.