Wildlife Forensic India

Wildlife Institute of India has been receiving wildlife offence cases from various enforcement agencies since 1987. It was felt that enforcement of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act (1972) is often hampered due to the lack of reference materials and methods necessary to identify the animal and plant species in various wildlife offence cases.

Therefore, a need was felt for strengthening the Wildlife Forensic capabilities so as to support the enforcement agencies in the proper implementation of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in controlling the illegal wildlife trade.

Acollaborative project between US Fish and Wildlife Services and Wildlife institute of India was initiated in October 1995 to strengthen the Wildlife forensic capability at WII through Research and Development and then disseminating the knowledge to the various law enforcement agencies.

Wildlife Institute of India provided the logistic support as well as the work space for the forensic lab, while the infrastructure has been procured through Wildlife Forensic Project. The forensic laboratory became operational in January 1998.


Personnel
Dr. S.P. Goyal, Scientist-F, Nodal Officer (e-mail: goyalsp@wii.gov.in )
Mr. Sandeep K. Gupta, Scientist-C
Mr. C. P. Sharma, Technical Staff
Mr. Thapa, Office Assistant

Visit the official page of Wildlife Institute India

http://www.wii.gov.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139&Itemid=310

FORENSIC E-NOTES...

Founded	INDIAN FORENSIC ORGANIZATION
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What happened this Week in Forensics??

Looking for the Latest in Forensic News!!

We at IFO bring to you news and topics in Forensics around the globe. Have you missed these Headlines:

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reconstruct face of woman whose s keleton was found 40 years after she
was murdered by sex killer



India is a big market for cyber criminals!


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ARE YOU IN THE RIGHT FLIGHT?? (BLOOD SPLATTER ANALYSIS)

Dexter- Has got his Blood Splatter Analysis done! What About You??…. Yes Guys! This is where blood takes flight and we as forensic scientist need to know the Direction of Flight- i.e   The trajectory of a blood drop which can be established by its angle of impact and directionality angle.

Now you need to know the basics in Direction in Blood Splatter. Here are few terminologies:

Draw-Back Effect –  Blood in the barrel of a firearm that has been drawn backward into the muzzle.

Drip Pattern — A bloodstain pattern which results from blood dripping into blood.

Expirated Blood –  Blood that is blown out of the nose, mouth, or a wound as a result of air pressure and/or air flow which is the propelling force.

Flight Path –  The path of the blood drop, as it moves through space, from the impact site to the target.

Flow Pattern –  A change in the shape and direction of a bloodstain due to the influence of gravity or movement of the object.

Forward Spatter –  Blood which travels in the same direction as the source of energy or force which caused the spatter.

High Velocity Impact Spatter (HVIS) — A bloodstain pattern caused by a high velocity impact /force to a blood source such as that produced by gunshot or high speed machinery.

Courtesy: Joulyn's Blog

LATEST FORENSIC NEWS!!

Forensic Scientists Can Tell Your Age from a Drop of Blood

Forensic scientists of the future may soon have a new tool at their disposal. Given a drop of blood, researchers in the Netherlands have roughly determined the age of the person it came from. But for now, it really is rough–the researchers found they could only estimate a person’s age to within 9 years.

Currently, a crime scene investigator who obtained a spot of blood can check its DNA to see if it matches a known suspect or someone in a law enforcement database, and can use the DNA to determine a few other characteristics like gender and eye color. But age is tougher to estimate. Lead researcher Manfred Kayser, who works on forensic molecular biology at Erasmus University Medical Centre, explains that the best methods of determining age rely on testing bones or teeth, but he wanted to find a method that didn’t require skeletal remains.

While scouring the scientific literature for a molecular signature of age present in blood, Kayser and his team realized that the organ that pumps out T cells, the thymus, is gradually replaced with fat tissue as people age. Previous research has shown that this process leaves behind genetic artefacts.

>> Read Entire Story: Click here 

Forensic Medical Officer (FME) urgently required for on-going locum work in Derbyshire.

Further information

Type: PCC
Location: Derbyshire
Dates: ASAP until Mid July
Hours: 07.00 to 19.00
Pay: £50 p/h Monday to Sunday

Previously called Police Surgeons FMEs are doctors that work in the field of Forensic Medicine.  Our client is a NHS Trust that requires an FME from May onwards.  The shifts are 7am to 7pm, pay is £50/hour, Monday to Sunday. 

As a FME you will be expected to manage cases within a broad range of Forensic Medicine.  You will typically be supported by a team of nurses/multidisciplinary team.  Experience (UK or overseas) in Medicine, General Practice or Trauma is advantageous.  You will need full GMC and UK residency for at least 3 years. 

For more information please contact Michelle Brandon on 0208 947 3077 michelle.brandon@merco.co.uk if you are available for some or all of this request

ABOUT US:  Job seekers have more choice with Merco.  We are recognised as one of the fastest growing specialist recruiters in the UK.  We have work for Doctors, GPs and Nurses across the UK in the NHS and Private sectors.  Our locums are happier because...

·         We find you work quickly

·         We’re not a call centre – you deal with the same recruitment consultant

·         We have exclusive contracts and can offer sessions well in advance

·         We pay well and we pay promptly

·         We have the best Refer and Earn scheme - claim Cash + Apple iPad + More*

We’re confident no other medical staffing agency offers this level of service or reward.  See our website for testimonials from both clients and candidates. 

Please call Kate Campbell on 0208 947 3077 or email kate.campbell@merco.co.uk

>> APPLY HERE

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TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network

TRACE is an international NGO that aims to promote the use of forensic science in biodiversity conservation and the investigation of wildlife crime.

The TRACE network brings together forensic scientists and enforcement agencies in order to exchange information on the latest challenges facing wildlife law enforcement and modern techniques for tackling them.

Contact Trace Network
By email
info@tracenetwork.org

By phone
+44 (0)20 7870 7704
Skype ID: tracenetwork.org

By post
Registered office:
121 High Street, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK

Visit website:
http://portal.tracenetwork.org/

Other Useful Links :

Animal Investigators: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species 

Defending Our Wildlife Heritage: The Life and Times of a Special Agent 

Forensic Science in Wildlife Investigations (International Forensic Science and Investigation) 

The Thin Green Line: Wildlife Crime Investigation in Britain and Ireland 

Wildlife Detective 

The Wildlife Detectives: How Forensic Scientists Fight Crimes Against Nature (Scientists in the Field) 

A Hunt for Justice: The True Story of an Undercover Wildlife Agent 

 

What Everyone Ought to Know About Building a Forensic Career

 Forensic science is the application of scientific methods and principles to investigate criminal and civil actions of interest to the legal systems. All the clues collected from a crime scene are analyzed in a crime laboratory and converted into evidence worth producing in law courts.

 

 A Day in a Forensic Science Technician's Life:

 On a typical day a forensic science technician might perform some of the following duties:

• examine, test, and analyze tissue samples, chemical substances, physical materials, and ballistics evidence, using recording, measuring, and testing equipment;
• interpret laboratory findings and test results to identify and classify substances, materials, and other evidence collected at crime scene;
• collect and preserve criminal evidence used to solve cases;
• confer with ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, documents, electronics, medical, chemical, or metallurgical experts concerning evidence and its interpretation;
• reconstruct crime scene to determine relationships among pieces of evidence;
• prepare reports or presentations of findings, investigative methods, or laboratory techniques;
• testify as expert witness on evidence or laboratory techniques in trials or hearings;

 

Eligibility For Forensic Science Career

A bachelors degree in forensic science, biology, chemistry, criminalistics or a related natural or physical science discipline is required for most positions. College courses should include physics, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, biochemistry and biology with laboratory time. Some labs are moving toward requiring a masters degree in forensic science or criminalistics. Graduate level work will payoff in the long run, opening up opportunities for advancement and higher pay. Entry-level positions generally require a bachelors and some laboratory experience, preferably in a forensic lab environment. Laboratory experience in college course labs or working for a professor in a lab during college can often suffice for the required lab experience. Interning in a forensic lab is the best option. There are no certification requirements for this profession, though certain related professional boards do offer certification programs that can be professionally and personally beneficial. 

 

 

Key Skills

Inquisitive nature, strong communication skill, ability to work in team, organizational ability, an eye for detail, and skill in interpreting scientific results are desired skills

Remuneration

Remuneration state forensics departments is as per government pay scales. The state department salaries begin around Rs. 4000 and increases according to the rank and years of experience. Forensic scientists with postgraduate qualifications have starting salary of Rs.6000 - Rs.8000 depending on the nature of the organisation. Private forensic laboratories offer lucrative pay packages to scientists with a few years of experience. A freelancer in the field can charge according to requirements of the individual case.

No jobs for forensics diploma holders: RTI

An RTI reply has debunked higher and technical education minister Rajesh Tope's claim that students of the Institute of Forensic Science are hired in reputed organizations with good paychecks. The authorities, however, maintain that most students have got plum jobs, and that no lofty claims have been made.

Students of the institute have learnt through RTI that not a single student has been placed after completing the one-year post-graduate diploma course in digital and cyber forensic science and forensic science and related laws. The college authorities denied this, saying that they had not organized campus recruitment drives.

The diploma courses launched in 2009 had garnered much enthusiasm, especially in the wake of the investigators' increasing dependence on forensic science to crack cases.

Maharashtra became the first state in India to launch such a course and had around 55 takers right after it was announced. But, students were in for dejection after completion of the course in May-June last year. Neither corporates nor government or policing agencies showed any interest in hiring them.

"Many companies said we were not skilled enough to be hired just after a year's diploma," said a student. Another student added that they were hopeful of getting hired in the state forensic laboratories that have around 306 vacancies currently. "But, we were later told we cannot be hired as the recruitment rules did not permit that. No efforts have been made to change the recruitment rules so far," said the student. 

SOURCE: TOI

Opportunities in Forensic Science

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What is Forensic Psychology? Famous Cases

Forensic psychology is the interaction of the practice or study of psychology and the law. Psychologists interested in this line of applied work may be found working in prisons, jails, rehabilitation centers, police departments, law firms, schools, government agencies, or in private practice, to name a few. They may work directly with attorneys, defendants, offenders, victims, pupils, families, or with patients within the state's corrections or rehabilitation centers. Other psychologists interested in forensic psychology focus on the study of psychology and the law. They may work in colleges, universities, government agencies, or in other settings interested in researching and examining the interaction of human behavior, criminology, and the legal system.

There are many famous cases that have been solved by the use of forensic psychology and others in which the science of forensic psychology has been used to great advantage. Three of these cases are highlighted in this below.

The Lindbergh Kidnapping

Charles Lindbergh was a world-renowned aviator. In the spring of 1932, his infant son was kidnapped and never seen alive again, even though a huge ransom was paid for the child’s safe return. The kidnappers used a make-shift ladder to get into the second story of Lindbergh’s home and snatch the child from his crib. The body of 20-month-old Charles Lindbergh Jr. was found two months later, very close to the Lindbergh home. The Secret Service traced the bills from the ransom.

This led to Bruno Hauptmann. About a third of the ransom was found in a shed attached to Hauptmann’s home. Bruno Hauptmann told authorities that he was holding the money for a friend, but testimony from experts in handwriting analysis confirmed that the ransom notes were penned in Hauptmann’s handwriting. Forensic analysis also determined that the wood used to build the homemade ladder was culled from wood discovered in the attic of the Hauptmann home.

Machine Gun Kelly

George Kelly aka “Machine Gun Kelly” was a famous criminal during the days of prohibition. He participated in many crimes, such as armed robbery, bootlegging and kidnapping. In the summer 0f 1933, Kelly and an accomplice kidnapped an oil magnate, Charles Urschel, who lived in Oklahoma City. The kidnappers let Urschel go about a week later, uninjured, after demanding, and receiving, the largest ransom in history.

Charles Urschel was a smart man. He took note of everything during his ordeal and was able to provide police with many details. He had been able to discern day and night through his blindfold and approximate the time when several events occurred. He remembered a terrible storm and gave the time and date; he noted airplanes flying over the location where he was being held hostage, and he described the noises from the various animals he heard.

Urschel’s memories enabled the FBI to discover that he had been held in a farmhouse owned by a relative.

However, what really sealed the case was that the oilman had planted his fingerprints in the house, in as many places as possible! Kelly was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.

The Green River Killer

A series of homicides can be laid at the door of Gary Ridgway, aka the “Green River Killer.” Most of the victims were prostitutes. The alleged 48-90 murders were committed in the 80s and 90s, near the Green River in Washington state. Law enforcement personnel pinpointed Gary Ridgway as a likely suspect early on and took his DNA fingerprint. but the technology forensics have today was not available at that time, and there was not enough evidence to arrest him. But in 2001, new techniques enabled the DNA sample to be re-examined, and this led to the arrest of the “Green River Killer.” After realizing he had been hopelessly incriminated, Gary Ridgway confessed and entered a guilty plea in order to avoid the death penalty. He received life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Important Links:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/profiling/index.html

Forensic Psychology

Introduction to Forensic Psychology: Research and Application

Criminal Psychology: A Beginner's Guide

Forensic Psychology: Emerging Topics and Expanding Roles