2.3 Creating and using your own timeline
Now you will start to create your own timeline for the criminal incident you heard about in Section 2.1. Exactly how you create your timeline is up to you. You can create it physically on a large sheet of paper or digitally using programs like Visio, PowerPoint or Word. You can be creative, and make it visually interesting by using lots of different colours, or you can keep it very simple.
Activity 2
Once you have decided on a method for creating your timeline, you should start by plotting the information you obtained from the video police briefing by SIO Lyndon Harris. This will start to form a visual representation of the information that is currently available to you.
Bear in mind when creating your timeline that at this moment you only have a VERY basic backbone of information, and there will be additional details and further evidence to add as you progress through the course, so leave plenty of space.
The SIO has recommended that your timeline should start from 5pm on Sunday 9 February 2020 (on the left-hand side) and run through until midday on Tuesday 11 February 2020 (on the right-hand side). If you are drawing this timeline on paper, it is recommended that you use it in landscape orientation, which will allow you to make the best use of the space.
You will return to your timeline several times during the course, so please keep it safe, whether it is a digital document or a sheet of paper. Over time, you may start to be able to identify discrepancies by using the information on your timeline. For example, a suspect in the investigation may claim to have been in one place, while several witnesses claim to have seen them in another, or there may be discrepancies with digital information and what people are telling officers in interview. The ability to identify these discrepancies quickly is one of the reasons timelines are so useful.