Crime Scene Investigation has spawned three long-running american TV series where scriptwriting, music and editing techniques build the profiles of elite police scientists slicing through the heavy debris of glitzy cities, violent murder and charged emotion. But how close is this to everyday forensics?
Students from around the world are being offered the chance to learn real life crime-solving skills by the University of Leicester’s Department of Chemistry which is hosting a residential summer school in collaboration with Northamptonshire Police.
During the three-week theoretical and practical course, running from July 30 to August 17, the students will work as part of an investigative team to try and solve a simulated crime using the same materials and equipment that forensic scientists use today.
Techniques they will be taught include fingerprint analysis, footwear impressions, and blood spatter analysis, according the course website. Criminal psychology and profiling is also a confirmed lecture component of the course.
Students will also visit a national forensic laboratory and police crime laboratory, according to a statement from the university.
The course is open to applicants aged over 18 from anywhere in the world. No specific scientific expertise or background is necessary to apply for the course.
“Over the past few years it has become clear that students have gained a great deal from attending CSI Leicester, not only academically but also in terms of their cultural experience and building friendships with fellow students from across the world,” said course leader Dr John Bond OBE in the statement.
Dr Bond is the inventor of a ground-breaking technique to visualise fingerprints on metal, even after they have been wiped off, based on the fact that sweat corrodes metal.
The University of Leicester has a dedicated Forensic Research Centre, working with staff from across the university to conduct research into crime, criminal justice, and forensic research.
Applications close on April 4. For more information visit http://www.le.ac.uk/csi-leicester
