Pointing out of crime scenes : a technique used to link a suspect with a crime

Abstract

Crime in South Africa is very close to getting out of control. There is a dramatic increase especially in violent crimes such as murder, hijacking, business robberies, house robberies, rapes and armed robberies where innocent people get killed daily. This has the public shivering in fear. The South African Police Service are responsible for the prevention and investigation of all crimes committed. The Detective Service has the unpleasant task of hunting down the criminals that are responsible for committing these crimes. When a crime is committed and a suspect is arrested, the detectives must use all techniques and methods available to them to connect the suspect with the crime. The positive linkage of a suspect with a crime can lead to a conviction in court and one less criminal on the streets of South Africa. One technique that can be used is pointing out of a crime scene. This research is all about the pointing out of crime scenes.