The role of the crime scene investigator is complex, and investigators need to be able to conduct multiple frequently performed tasks. Appropriate training and education are critical to impart the crime scene investigator with the necessary capabilities. For a range of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for multi-disciplinary capabilities, training and education requirements have evolved in recent times to be more flexible and accessible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental pollution incidents generate an emergency response from regulatory agencies to ensure that the impact on the environment is minimised. Knowing what pollutants are present provides important intelligence to assist in determining how to respond to the incident. However, responders are limited in their in-field capabilities to identify the pollutants present.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInvestigations into the application of carboxyl-functionalised silicon oxide nanoparticles doped with a ruthenium complex (RuBpy-doped CES-SiO NPs) for latent fingermark development on non-porous surfaces were reported in previous studies. These studies suggested that an optimised NP-based method demonstrated advantages in fingermark selectivity and sensitivity. To continue the series of research into using RuBpy-doped CES-SiO NPs for fingermark detection, the versatility and overall practicality of the optimised SiO NP-based reagent for latent fingermark detection and enhancement was evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBuilding and factory fires pose a great risk to human and environmental health, due to the release of hazardous by-products of combustion. These hazardous compounds can dissipate into the environment through fire water run-off, and the impact can be immediate or chronic. Current laboratory-based methods do not report hazardous compounds released from a fire scene at the time and location of the event.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent advancements in person-portable instrumentation have resulted in the potential to provide contemporaneous results through rapid in-field analyses. These technologies can be utilised in emergency response scenarios to aid first responders in appropriate site risk assessment and management. Large metropolitan fires can pose great risk to human and environmental health due to the rapid release of hazardous compounds into the atmosphere.
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