UNODC and Ministry of Justice of Brazil launches handbook on Crime scene and physical evidence awareness

22 June 2010 - The Brazilian Minister of Justice, Luiz Paulo Barreto, the National Secretary of Public Security, Ricardo Balestreri and the Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for Brazil and the Southern Cone, Bo Mathiasen, launched, on Tuesday (22), a handbook on crime scene and physical evidence awareness for non-forensic personnel.

The publication was produced by UNODC with the aim of raising awareness, especially in those without professional training as forensic expert on the importance of good practice in the forensic examination of the crime scene and on the nature and relevance of material evidence. The manual covers issues related to work at the scene, from first contact with the local to the presentation of evidence at trial.

The main target audience of the manual is non-forensic personnel, in other words, any person involved in the work at a crime scene without specific training. The goal is to help them understand the importance of their actions and the consequences of non-application of certain principles. The manual is also intended for policymakers and public security and criminal justice professionals that need to assess and/or make decisions based on the evidence presented.

The publication has been translated from English into Portuguese by the National Public Safety Secretariat and adapted to Brazilian reality. In the first run in Brazil, 500 copies will be distributed to military and civil police, firemen and doctors.

Full text of the handbook on crime scene and physical evidence awareness for non-forensic personnel (in English or Portuguese)

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