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Investigating a murder with forensic psychology
Investigating a murder with forensic psychology

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2 Police briefing and timeline

A photograph SIO Harris, with a busy white board behind him.

Many fictional depictions of investigations include a scene, often near the start, where the lead detective briefs their colleagues on the initial details of the case. Not only is this a very useful narrative tool for providing the audience with a useful summary but also something that is a routine part of real police investigations. You will keep to this convention by starting our investigation with a briefing. In this section, you’ll start by meeting the Senior Investigating Officer (or SIO) who will introduce you to the case.

Timelines, in which all of the evidence and information obtained is mapped out to show the order, and timing, in which events occurred are routinely used by the police in a real investigation. Following the briefing from the SIO you will learn about the importance of using timelines in criminal cases and also get to create your own.