Scene of Crime Officer

As a scene of crime officer, you work with the police to investigate crimes. When a crime happens - like a theft, break-in or assault - you go to the scene and look for evidence. This might be fingerprints, blood, fibres from clothing, or broken objects. You carefully collect, photograph and package this evidence so it is safe and clean for scientists to test in the laboratory. Your work is very detailed - you need to be careful not to disturb or contaminate anything.

You work in all kinds of places - homes, shops, cars, streets - sometimes when it's dark or in bad weather. You use special equipment like cameras, swabs and test kits to record what you find. You also write clear notes about where you found each piece of evidence. Your work is important because good evidence can help police catch the right person and prove what happened. It can be upsetting sometimes, as crime scenes can show that people have been hurt, but you are helping to make sure justice is done.