The objective of the course is to demonstrate and instil a systematic approach to processing scenes of international crimes and grave human rights violations and how to utilise sketches to supplement notes, video-recordings and photographs in documenting scenes.
This course consists of a blend of theory and practical exercises using artificial crime scenes to acquire and apply skills to identify relevant physical evidence and document it in a manner that maintains its evidentiary value.
It includes:
- Security challenges facing crime scene investigators including understanding the inherent dangers in conflict and post conflict environments; recognising unexploded ordinance, improvised explosive devices and munitions
- Search techniques
- Logistics
- Photographic skills and techniques
- Digital images as evidence
- Collection, storage and transport of evidence
- Ammunition, weapons and weapon systems
- Tool marks and craters caused by projectiles
- Mass graves and execution sites
- Detention and torture sites
- Use of scales and markers
- Using GPS to obtain coordinates at a crime scene
- Report writing and evidence management.
I too feel honoured to have been part of such a valuable training event and gained a wealth of knowledge from all of your expertise in a variety of areas
The best thing being by far the team building experience: work with people I had never seen before and that came from different background, put together our expertise and experiences in a constructive way. Each of us brought something to our team and I believe we all learn about the importance of listening to one another and question our ideas. It was like building a picture to which each one of us contributed with an essential detail.
We had a colleague on mission from Geneva a while back, and when they found out I had completed the IICI investigators course they mentioned that it was the ‘gold standard’ of training and that more human rights officers needed to do it. Could not agree more.
The past two weeks have been such a wonderful experience. So I am writing to say that it was the most interesting, fruitful and pleasant training I have ever been to. Your management of the challenges of our training and your skills in engaging the participants was outstanding. What really amazed me was, how aware you were of everything that was occurring in the classroom, and how you managed to help each attendee personally and to initiate discussions of the topics everyone was thinking and wondering about
The course was definitely an extraordinary experience.