Since time immemorial, crime stories have paved a way to fascinate, excite and evoke the imagination of people. Who killed, how the crime was committed and why is a very popular area and everyone seems to have his or her own theory regarding the crime. However in real life performing the task of crime-detection is a stupendous task. This is where Forensic Science comes in.
Forensic Science as many say owes its origins to those people who first developed the underlying principles and foundations necessary to aid the criminal justice system by identifying the physical evidences and interpreting the results. Today as many believe Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has highly popularized the first fictional character who applied scientific techniques in crime-detection. And since then, the emergence of forensic scientists and criminal investigators has led ways for solving crimes.
Read on to see what it takes to be a real Forensic Scientist:
- Scope and Education in Forensic Science: Forensic Science encompasses almost all the branches of science and has wide applications not only from the medico-legal point of view but is also applicable to pure sciences, paleontology, molecular biology, soil science, etc.
Education in Forensic Science is still in its formative stages. However recent trends in
Masters degree in Forensic Science: To take up Masters Degree, you need to be a graduate in any one of the following discipline: Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, Botany, Bio-Chemistry, B Pharm, MBBS, Engineering, Computer Science, Microbiology or Psychology.
- Main Objective as a Forensic Scientist: You must collect, identify, analyze and interpret physical evidence related to criminal investigations. Perform tests on weapons or substances, such as fiber, hair, and tissue to determine its significance to investigation. May testify in the court of law as expert witnesses on evidence or crime laboratory techniques. Serve as specialists in area of expertise, such as ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, questioned documents etc.
- Qualities of a Forensic Scientist:
§ Forensic scientists are thinkers as most investigations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They are excellent with details, putting pieces of puzzle together and are realistic in team work.
§ They have a good logical, practical and methodical approach and have ethics maintained.
§ Be good in communication skills while conveying information to others and paying attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
§ Forensic Scientist who works as an analyst in the laboratory should not succumb to pressure and must be able to maintain good concentration while doing repetitive work
§ As an expert witness, he must be able to explain the working of scientific instruments and complex chemical reactions in simple language understandable to a lay person.
In conclusion, as the crime tide increases, the world of forensics keeps extending its boundaries into the realms of science to aid in the criminal investigations. It is upto the forensic scientist to take the plunge into the unknown…..!!!!!
