New tool to fight crime
Virtual reality allows trainee CSIs to step into a crime scene from their desk.
The accuracy of crime scene investigations could be helped by a new Kiwi-made virtual reality tool. The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) and Auckland-based virtual reality (VR) company Staples VR have developed a tool that allows trainee crime scene investigators to step into and interact with the scene, without being present.
ESR forensic research and development programme manager Dion Sheppard said before trainees are signed off to do forensic work, they need to be exposed to what investigators experience at the scene of a crime.
“Our alternative previously was to create the mock crime scene in a room or find a house we could use. But that’s really slow, it takes a lot of effort to build it and then people have to go through it.
“But with the VR stuff you can create any scenario you want, build in the types of evidence you want people to experience and be trained in, and create a testing environment within that as well,” Sheppard said.
By putting on a VR headset, the trainee would feel like they were standing in a crime scene.
The viewer can move around the scene and practise procedures such as collecting, photographing and documenting evidence. They can also practise handling evidence by using handheld controls to do things such as change gloves to avoid cross contamination. The trainee’s performance can then be reviewed.
“Crime scene examinations are really important. You’ve got a very dynamic environment, you’ve got a whole lot of unknowns and you have a lot of time pressure,” said Sheppard.
“You need to be able to locate the right exhibits so you can examine them in a laboratory. You need a really quality examination of the scene so you get the most evidence and information out of it. “The better the forensic science work at the scene is, the better our chances of having the right information presented at a trial is, so the right outcome is delivered.” Disputes about evidence collected or not — at crime scenes have
HWatch the video at nzherald.co.nz — arisen over several high profile cases in New Zealand, including the Bain murders.
Sheppard said there were several advantages of using VR over mock crime scenes. These included the ability for trainees to use VR to step into real crime scenes, which have been recorded by ESR using 3D laser scanners.
Training components could be delivered more easily remotely.
“You don’t necessarily have to go to the training college or to the [mock crime scene] to experience some of the training. You can sit at your desk or stand in your own room and be virtually there.” also and
ESR has been in talks with police about using VR training for their forensic staff.
A police spokesperson said although police were always looking to see what initiatives and technologies were available, they had no plans to implement VR forensics training in the near future.
Staples VR producer Aliesha Staples said the VR experiences the Auckland-based company has made are realistic, meaning they can be used for fields like forensics.
She said the forensics training tool could be easily adapted for other languages so it can be sold into overseas markets.
Sheppard said VR could also be useful for visualising forensic investigation findings in court.
ESR has been capturing real crime scenes using 3D laser scanning for about five years. In some cases, these have been presented on a computer in court to help lawyers and juries better understand the crime scene.
Sheppard said the 3D data can be built into a VR environment, so a jury could explore the crime scene as it was, but with results of the investigation and forensic testing embedded as well.
Although Sheppard said it “would be quite a leap to imagine the jury being in headsets” and experiencing parts of the trial through the mechanism, it was definitely a possibility.