Police procedure relating to burglaries and robberies

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.024774

I note you seek access to the following information:

I wanted to find out terms of burglaries and robberies what has changed in the way police find those that break into people’s house, 10 years ago when my house was broken into till this day the person wasn't found so a lot of people don't even feel like reporting it because even when we called police the person wasn't floor because they were wearing gloves so what has changed in terms of the technology police use to find burglars even if they do use gloves or other equipment?

Please do let me know and if this isn't the right place to ask please do direct me to the right place because if 10 years on nothing has changed and police still can't catch burglars when they wear gloves then that is an issue that needs to be worked on and focussed on.’

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

There have been considerable improvements over the last 10 years in what police can gather from the location of a crime. This has predominately been achieved utilising the advances within forensic capabilities, sharing of information between other police areas and reaching out to other sources of expertise for initiatives such as SmartWater and having property forensically marked.

Officers are updated with these progressive tools available and are forensically aware. Officers will secure the scene of a crime and initiate forensic examiners to examine and retrieve potential exhibits.

There are a number of considerations dependent on the condition of the scene, tool marks, fibres from clothing, fingerprints, shoe marks and DNA (DNA can now be obtained from a gloved hand dependant on glove type, perspiration etc). There is also a national forensic footwear database.

The national database will be scrutinised and should an individual be arrested years after an offence is committed they will be highlighted to police. Away from the location, officers will also look wider with the ever increasing portfolio of CCTV available both private and public and ANPR cameras, should a suspect vehicle be identified.

There is also an array of open source material on how offences are investigated and I have included a few website addresses below, which you may find useful.

Smartwater - Partnering with Law Enforcement
Selectadna - Security

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