Secondary school pupils become crime scene investigators

Year 10 Pupils from Sacred Heart School take part in Work Experience project as Crime Scene Investigators at University of Teesside

Date: Tuesday 25 March
Time: 12noon
Location: The University of Teesside's 'Crime House'.

Ten Year 10 students from Sacred Heart RC School in Redcar will enter the University of Teesside's £40,000 Crime House, exploring the various methods used to catch criminals.

The pupils will be searching for clues to staged crimes and will be challenged to collect and record fingerprints, footprints and other physical evidence. Many of the talks and practical challenges they face will be led by former crime scene investigators.

Julie Mennell, from the University's School of Science & Technology, said: "We're delighted to welcome the pupils to the Crime House, as it's an ideal opportunity for them to see the reality behind popular TV programmes like CSI and Silent Witness. The 'Crime House' will allow us to simulate any crime scene and Crime Scene Examiners can be among the first on the scene so they need to know how to handle delicate situations and make sure the vital evidence is not disturbed. I'm sure the pupils will enjoy the challenges and also get a new understanding of how science is really used in every day life."

The University of Teesside offers courses in BSc (Hons) Crime Scene Science and BSc (Hons) Applied Science & Forensic Investigation, along with other short courses in these areas, all of which make use of the sixteen-room 'Crime House'. The perfect learning environment for crime scene courses, the 'Crime House', complete with CCTV in each room, is the biggest and most elaborate facility of its kind in any university in the UK and is used to simulate various crimes, from break-ins to murders, and gives students the opportunity to develop their practical skills in realistic conditions.

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