Behavior of drug-dependent offenders

Researchers at the University of Leicester have worked with Northamptonshire Police's Scientific Support Unit to research whether or not drug-dependent offenders were more likely to be apprehended through forensic science techniques than those who were not.

The initial results of this research have just been published in the prestigious American Association of Forensic Sciences publication, Journal of Forensic Science.

Data from volume crimes committed in Northamptonshire such as burglary and vehicle crime – taken over a six-year period - was used as the basis for the research.

Drug-dependent offenders committed a wider range of offences than those not reliant on drugs and these offences were significantly more likely to be detected via DNA or fingerprints.

The research established for the first time that a drug-dependent offender’s sex, ethnicity and employment status influenced the detection of the crime by forensic science but their age and the number of offences committed by an individual did not.

In conclusion, it was felt that the physical and mental impact of drug use on an offender’s crime scene behaviour led to an increased chance of detection through forensic science methods.

Dr John Bond, head of the Scientific Support Unit, said: “Working with the University of Leicester provides a much-needed link between academia and the police service for collaborative research.

“We are strengthening our association with the University of Leicester in several disciplines where we can work together to better understand how forensic science can be used to detect more crime.

“Part of this association has been research students working with us in Northamptonshire and, this year, one student has taken further this drug-related research.

“For her dissertation, the student interviewed offenders to establish in more detail the crime scene behaviour of drug offenders and non-drug offenders.

“She found that a drug offender would commit acquisitive crime to get items that have a ready re-sale market and often behaves in a more agitated and confused state than someone who isn’t reliant on feeding a drug habit.”

Dr Bond is actively involved with The Forensic Research Centre at the University of Leicester, which is the umbrella 'virtual' group for forensic researchers at the university.

Dr Emma Palmer, Reader in Forensic Psychology a the University of Leicester, said: “This research is an excellent example of the collaborative research we are conducting with Northamptonshire Police, and shows the real benefits for crime detection that can be achieved through joint work between the police and academics.”
 
This has been a busy month for Northamptonshire Police’s Scientific Support Unit with another paper just published that considered the potential impact that Force mergers would have had on the detection of volume crime by forensic science.

It concluded that a merger would have had an adverse impact, with smaller forces in a better position to detect volume crime through fingerprinting and DNA techniques.