Watershed in crime detection with new fingerprint tech

(6 May 2019) LEADIN: New technology means scientists can reveal almost invisible fingerprints a molecule thick, helping detectives with hard-to-solve serious crimes like murder. Now one police force is considering the technology to reopen a murder investigation. STORYLINE: This is how crime scene investigation looks now. This knife, which was used in a crime, reveals one print. It's been treated with cyanocrylate vapors, basically an adhesive that sticks to the prints and makes them visible in the presence of a white light. LED light lasers emitting particular wavelengths of light through filters also make the fingerprint visible enough to be photographed. If there are lots of good quality prints on different items of clothing, or weapons the scientists can preserve the prints and take DNA from another in a bid to track down the perpetrator.   The problem is most offenders don't go out of their way to leave the police a wealth of evidence. Often one small spot is the only evidence. Or the print is on a hard-to-see background like a bullet casing. The forensics team faces a tough call. To swab for DNA and destroy the site, or take a print which might not be substantial enough to convict. The forensic scientists here work at a central special operations unit which supports detectives across five police forces throughout central England. It has many cold cases left open, waiting for new technology to step in and rovide new evidence. The deputy head of the forensics unit is Vickie Burgin. "Any of our undetected serious sexual offences, or our major, crime our homicide are never closed. We are continually reviewing them. So in those instances where we find that we have a critical exhibit that could help us to identify an offender and bring about a detection, if the current processes are not fit for purpose and won't deliver what we want forensically then we would always look at other opportunities. And as long as we declare that at the point that we use it, and declare it to the defense and the prosecution and the investigative team, then we would be willing to explore that. If there were no other options." She is already considering one case from many years ago as a proof of concept. Before they can do that they want to know the new technology developed with the University of Nottingham can produce uncompromised evidence. The method must show it's reliable, doesn't damage the existing evidence while producing the same results when tested time after time. All the analytical services delivered here have to be accredited by a national board called the UK  Accreditation Standard. It aims to reassure crime victims, the courts, and suspects that the work the forensics service has done and the tests it's used, meet validated standards which can be  externally audited. Burgin says: "We have some cold cases at the moment we're looking at, that we're very much in a dilemma (about) because it's an and, or  situation. Do we look at recovering DNA, or do we look at recovering fingerprints and there's no guarantee that either of them would give us the forensic evidence that we require. And because of the close relationship that EMSU-FS (police forensics unit) has with some of our local universities we were aware of the development of new technologies. So we've pended any forensic examination on recovery (of fingerprint on weapons and evidence) until we've explored the opportunities that new technology might give us because it may well be, if we go down the route of DNA or fingerprint recovery now there will be no opportunities later." Fired bullet casings are a particular problem. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/eddb46109c7ca33a5863e5e38237f772