Drawing on in-depth research, including interviews with former and
serving detectives, this book explores how homicide investigation in
England and Wales has changed since the 1980s and the opportunities and
challenges that have arisen as a consequence. The investigation of
homicide in England and Wales became subject to significant reform in
the 1980s, when the inquiry into the Yorkshire Ripper investigation
identified numerous failings in how the hunt for Peter Sutcliffe was
conducted. These investigations have been subject to criticism and
change from that moment onwards. This book explores how change has
shaped every facet of these investigations, with four main areas
identified: science and technology; legislation, regulation and
guidance; investigative practice; and lastly, detective status and
culture. The work shows that change has been the result of four primary
catalysts: a growing preoccupation with risk, the changing political
landscape, reactions to miscarriages of justice and other cases, and
advances in science and technology. What has been lost and gained as a
result of change is also explored. It has, in many ways, been positive
as scientific and technological advances allow investigators to plot an
offender's movements and draw a clearer picture of what transpired.
However, change has created today's more risk-averse homicide
detectives, who must manage the vast amounts of technological
information that modern-day investigations now generate. They must also
contend with a raft of legislation and guidance that now govern
investigations and budget pressures not faced by their predecessors. The
book will be a valuable resource for students, researchers and
policymakers in the areas of criminal law and procedure, criminal
justice, criminology, and policing.
