Methods of combatting crime - Eduqas20th century - technology

Developments in surveillance technology and forensic science in the 20th century have had a huge impact on police officers’ ability to investigate crime, as officers are now no longer reliant on eyewitnesses to gather evidence.

Technology

The police now use technology including metal detectors, CCTV and infra-red equipment.

Since the 1960s, the police have used computers to store the vast amount of information they gather. This means that it is now much easier for police to cross-check this information, as well as share it between forces.

There is a centralised national computer record, the Police National Computer, which includes a database of:

• fingerprints
• DNA records
• vehicle details
• information about missing persons

Forensic technology

Forensic technology has led to huge changes in policing methods. Forensics is the use of science to solve crimes.

The introduction of fingerprinting in the late 19th century allowed police to build up a national database of fingerprint records. Scenes of crime officers (SOCOs) would then ‘dust’ the scene for fingerprints to help identify suspects. Police take a suspect’s fingerprints using ink, or increasingly with electronic scanners.

Each police force now has a forensics department. SOCOs investigate the scene of a crime, as well as the victim and the victim’s clothes, for traces of hair, skin, dust, clothing, blood and other bodily fluids. They are then able to identify DNA from these samples and try to match that DNA with suspects. This process is called genetic fingerprinting. It is particularly useful in cases of murder or rape. The police have developed a DNA database, which stores around 6 million people’s records.