Handling incident scene security or police training

Last Updated on September 26, 2019

Basic security guard training Unit 2 Lesson (D)

A crime scene is a place associated with a committed crime and it contains the relevant evidence to a criminal investigation.

incident scene is anyplace where an event requiring investigation has occurred, whether or not it is a crime.

A security guard has to play important roles when he or she attends both in the incident and a crime scene. Every activity you do is to protect the scene before police or investigation officer arrives.

There are three important considerations for a security guard in attending an incident scene. Maintaining scene security, handling evidence and dealing with witnesses.

1.  maintaining scene security

Maintaining the scene security is to control the location to make sure the protection of the available information. Without proper controlling and collaboration, the evidence may not reach to the police or senior investigation officers.

Hence, attending the incident scenes your first duty not to allow anyone to mix up the evidence which is vital for identifying an individual that was involved.

The method of scene security.

Although there are a variety of methods for scene security the common ways that the security guard, police officer, and law enforcement officer use to the protection of the incident scene.

1. Posting the security guards
2. furthermore, rope or tape cordons.
3. Placing the vehicle to block the area from being access.
4. Use the warning signs such as markers, flags and other signboards.
5. Lock the door including windows if the scene is in the building.
6. Establish a safe walk for the people after maintaining the proper distance.

secondly, an important consideration at the incident scene for a security guard is proper handling the evidence.

2. Handling the evidence

The evidence can be anything either people who witness the incident or the equipment that used to commit a crime. Most evidence is used to determine facts, reproduce events, and recognize people or things.

Types of evidence.

even though evident can be anything there are three types of evidence you should understand all-time in scene security.

• the verbal

The verbal evidence is the words of the mouth that cannot exhibit at the court hearing. The audio that relates to the incident or what people saying about the incident is verbal evidence. However here some example of the verbal evidence.

1. The defendant confession or rejection of the crime.
2. The testimony that offers by witnesses and experts.
3. The audio associated with the incident.

Additionally, there is another type of evidence to recreate the event is a documentary.

• Documentary

The documentary evidence is based on the documents, testimony in the court it is widely understood to refer the writing on the paper. Not only this but also the news on the media considers the documentary evidence. for example.

1. Photograph
2. The printed form of the newspaper.
3. Digital evidence such as email or spreadsheets.
4. invoice, contract paper, and agreement between the parties.

At last, the most believed evidence is physical objects that subject to the crime or the incident.

• Physical or real 

The piece of the evidence nither verbal nor documentary but the types of equipment were used to commit a crime, or the things that left by the criminal after doing the crime are real evidence. Physical or real evidence can exhibit in court testimony. for example

• Weapons or other instruments
• Illegal or prohibited things like drugs and drugs money etc.
• DNA, blood, or bodily samples
• Photographs or video footage
• Footprints or other types of tracks
• Scientific and forensic evidence

The last one out of three consideration things, for a police or security officer at preserving the incident scene, is dealing with the witness.

3. Dealing with witnesses

A witness is a person who provides additional information about evidence and he or she has knowledge relevant to the incident.

You may require to take an interview with the person who had involved or witnesses if the incident happens at the time of your duty.

So, you must use the effective or active listening skills when you take the statement of the witnesses because people feel comfortable to talk with a person who does effective communication.

What are the important things you should practice on interviewing the witnesses?

1. find a quiet place if possible, where people do not bother you. But don’t forget your duty and responsibility even though you are going off for taking the statement. You post should takeover a most experienced security guard who can perform duty similarly that you had done.
2. Face the person at their level, if the person is sitting you need to sit because they think you are not threatening them and respect their level.
3. The focus in the person’s words rather than thinking another question. Don’t drift your focus any other palace, people and things.
4. Try to find the facts rather than taking unimportant things.
5. Take a note of the important points,
6. request the person talk slowly if he is talking fast. Make sure you understand everything he saying.
7. Get the contact number if possible because you can contact in future. Furthermore, the police officer or investigator may need to talk with the witnesses that you interviewed.
8. Keep the information confidential only share with whom you need to do so.
9. Remember the person’s right you can not force them to help you.
10. If the person objects you to answer, take note immediately to avoid forgetting.

What types of question you should ask on taking the statements of someone?

Although you may ask several types of question to determine the fact most importantly you should know what types of question ask and where to ask them. Commonly the two types of question are asked when interviewing the witnesses.

1. Open-ended question. 

Open-ended questions require a long answer. in other words, the answer to this question is a story of the incident. At the beginning of the interview, you ask the story for that incident to the witnesses. Which areas following.

• Can you tell me what happened?
• What did you see?
• How did that make you feel?
• What did you do next?

2. Closed-ended question

The closed-ended question uses when you need only the specific information regarding the incident and the answer ends with “Yes” or “No”. such as

• are there any other people?
• what time the incident happened?
• were you walking at that time?
• Did you see the vehicle there?

Conclusion:- Working as a security guard you must know how to protect the incident scene. The main purpose of the crime scene protection is to prevent evidence contamination.  When you are interviewing the witnesses don’t lead them to your personal opinion.

Don’t ask the straightforward question let them time to think and reply. Don’t ask multiple questions at a time because they can confuse which question-answer first. So, the most important things you should do is to act professionally.

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