Students Praised for their Efforts

By , 24 August 2022

Staffordshire Police Assistant Chief Constable has praised the work of Staffordshire University students who completed summer placements with the force Forensic department.

Five students took part in the 6-week placements which are a feature of Staffordshire Forensic Partnership – a long standing partnership between Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire University to push the boundaries of forensic science in the county.

The students undertook four projects which included researching the best ways to retrieve data from instant messaging apps and methods for retrieving DNA from a car steering wheel. At the culmination of their placement, they presented their findings to police and university staff at Staffordshire Police Headquarters.

ACC Jennie Mattinson said: “What particularly impressed me was how well they connected in with our forensics department from an operational perspective and how all the students have really thought about the operation impacts of their research and how it can change our practices within forensics.”

“That’s what is really important because we can be much more efficient and effective at what we deliver, enabling us to detect more crime or provide that better service to the public which is what it’s all about.”

Two of the projects focused more broadly on forensic awareness. One, undertaken by Integrated Masters student Sarah Hartley involved creating simple guidance around forensic packaging.

Sarah Hartley, MSci Forensic Investigation student said, “I was working with the Forensics Submissions team to create a pictorial guide for staff and prison officer and anyone who might need it.

“It’s basically guidance to explain step by step what they need to do when packaging exhibits so that any issues with sealing or incorrect packaging would be eliminated before it got to the Submissions team.”

Sarah said the placement had given her valuable insights, adding: “It really opened my eyes to the different roles I could go into after uni.”

SFP co-ordinator Martyn Hordern added: “This was the first time students have been able to present their work in this way since 2019 due to COVID. All four presentations raised lots of interest and questions and it was clear from the students’ feedback that the placements were really useful in terms of working with the police and giving them an idea of the jobs and careers available. We’re grateful to all those who supported the students on their placements and wish the students all the best for the future.”

Listen to what the Police and the students had to say about the placements.

2022 6 Weeks Placement Presentations

By , 27 July 2022

Last week (13th July) we concluded our 2022 6 weeks placement projects with the students presenting their findings. This was the first in person event since 2019 due to COVID.

We had 5 students presenting on 4 subjects which had been set by forensic specialists from Staffordshire Police.

Two projects were around forensic awareness an area of focus this year for the partnership. One was around creating a simple set of guides around forensic packaging to ensure a first time correct approach, another was based on looking into the Crime Scene Assistant App both from a police and academic perspective.

As always we had plenty of choice for students to look into the world of digital forensics with the chosen project looking at retrieval of data from instant messaging apps using a range of forensic tools.

Lastly, working with the forces Forensic Investigations team we had a student looking at recovery of DNA from car steering wheels comparing swabs to mini tape and trying to mimic how a car thief would seed their DNA onto the car.

All four presentations raised lots of interest and questions and it was clear from the students feedback that the placements were really useful in terms of the insights it gave them into working with the police and its clear some future career choices had been made.

Grateful to all those who supported the students, this is in addition to the day job and those who attended on the day especially ACC Mattinson for her closing comments and awards to students and staff.

Likewise, thank you to staff at Staffordshire University including School of JSS for their support.

Best wishes to the students who graduate this time, some to carry on in academia and others to start their careers hopefully in forensics.

Student Creates Weapons Database to Crackdown on Stabbings

By , 29 June 2020

A Staffordshire University student has created a new database to identify weapons used in stabbings. BSc (Hons) Forensic Investigation student Lauren Yare led the study into textile stab damage for her final year project. She tested weapons seized by Staffordshire Police along with household knives to build a database of characteristics to effectively identify knife types.

Lauren, 21 from Connah’s Quay in North Wales, explained: “I tested the weapons on four types of fabric and the damage produced different characteristics, such as fraying and curling. Blind testing was conducted to show the effectiveness of the database and overall it produced a 69% success rate.

“The police could use a database like this to help identify weapons used in stabbing crimes and potentially save valuable time in their investigations.”

Lauren is also completing a virtual six week placement with Staffordshire Police as part of the Staffordshire Forensic Partnership. She is working with the National Ballistics Intelligence Service to look at improvements when recovering evidence from gun crimes.

She will present findings from both projects in virtual presentations to Staffordshire Police this summer before returning to complete an MSc Forensic Science.

Lauren said: “It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with the police on a project like this. Everyone has been so welcoming and it is a great experience for the future.”