Science students were yesterday investigating a simulated crime scene at City of Westminster College. The activity was planned as part of the Crime Scene Investigation unit of the course which enables the students to put their scientific knowledge and understanding of forensics into practice. The scenario involved an incident where a student received a stab wound to their back resulting in them falling from the staircase. Various props involved in the crime scene included a pair of scissors, drinks can, blood and powder which the students then had to analyse and identify.

Ghazwan Raouf, a Lecturer within the Science department said, “The simulated crime scene is used to show the students, who are interested in forensic science, what they would be doing during a real investigation. We have different props that we’ve used which the students have marked and will carry out testing on. They will analyse the blood using amino acids to determine if it belongs to the victim or somebody else and they will also test the powder to identify what it is. This activity helps the students as it teaches them how to collect data and then analyse it and also enables them to get familiar with the equipment that they would be using should they pursue a career in this field.”

“We created a crime scene last year, but this year we’ve made it more theatrical and there’s a combination of Biology, Chemistry and Physics involved,” added Science Lecturer Afsana Begum-Mirza. “It teaches the students the basics of forensics and how to complete an investigation while working as part of a team and communicating with each other. They are using all of their scientific knowledge to gain evidence– if this was a real crime scene the scientific data and evidence they collect would be presented in court.”