TS 12770

TS 12770 is a professional standard for the police officer who works in crime scene investigation. Standards in this group define the occupational field of a role and clarify where that role sits within the wider organisation. Here, the subject is a specialist police function concerned with the immediate handling of an incident scene and the careful treatment of evidence-related traces.

What crime scene investigation means in practice

In general technical terms, crime scene investigation is the disciplined examination of a scene after an offence or other legal incident, with the aim of preserving physical traces, documenting conditions, and passing material into the forensic process without contamination or loss. Typical trace types include fingerprints, biological traces, footwear impressions, tool marks, vehicle marks, documents and fibres. The work combines observation, recording, classification and preservation rather than relying on a single technique.

The personnel covered by this standard therefore represent a specialised operational role: they help secure the scene, protect the integrity of findings, and coordinate with the relevant investigative and forensic units. The referenced legal instruments and related standards point to a practice that is closely tied to evidence collection, identification work and the use of technical equipment in the field.

Typical operational context

• Maintaining scene integrity and trace preservation
• Supporting identification work such as fingerprint-related procedures
• Collecting, safeguarding and forwarding evidence to the proper units
• Working alongside field lighting and emergency-response equipment