This week, BTEC Level 2 Applied Science and BTEC Level 3 Forensic Science students investigated a simulated crime scene at City of Westminster College. The investigation, which forms part of the Crime Scene Investigation unit of the Applied Science course, offers students the opportunity to put their scientific knowledge and understanding of forensics to work. The scenario the students were presented with involved a person being discovered on the ground floor of the College’s atrium. Various props involved in the crime scene included blood, a knife, powder, money, a broken bottle and footprints which students had to analyse and identify.

The students had to secure the crime scene, record and search the scene – gathering evidence, packaging it securely and labelling it for analysis in the labs. The area was cordoned off and the students had to use the evidence at the scene to try and establish the cause of death.

“The students use all elements of science including chemistry, physics and biology to analyse all of the evidence and determine what happened to the victim,” said Dr Hasanat Husain, a CWC Vocational Science Lecturer. “There are a number of possible scenarios that the students look at including calculating the velocity on impact to determine if the victim was pushed from a height, analysing the white powder and bottle to discover if the victim had been drugged or was drunk and analysing the wound to work out if the cause of death was as a result of a stabbing.”