Making demonstrably reliable forensic voice comparison a practical everyday reality in Australia. To assist Australian law-enforcement agencies and courts in the process of the conviction of the guilty and the exoneration of the innocent, this project will develop and test a practical and demonstrably reliable forensic voice comparison system for use with Australian voices. This will allow forensic scientists to produce reliable strength of evidence statements for presentation in court using the ....Making demonstrably reliable forensic voice comparison a practical everyday reality in Australia. To assist Australian law-enforcement agencies and courts in the process of the conviction of the guilty and the exoneration of the innocent, this project will develop and test a practical and demonstrably reliable forensic voice comparison system for use with Australian voices. This will allow forensic scientists to produce reliable strength of evidence statements for presentation in court using the same evaluative framework as used with DNA. In addition, application of the system during criminal investigations may lead to the refocussing of investigations on other suspects, or may help leverage guilty pleas, thus saving substantial time and money.Read moreRead less
Visualisation of latent DNA. This project aims to deliver a proof-of-concept that allows visualisation of invisible DNA (latent DNA) into a quick, inexpensive and practical DNA collection method that will lead to DNA evidence being available in more cases. It will build upon a proof-of-concept method ready for transferal to forensic casework. This will allow DNA evidence recovery technicians to improve their hit rate in recovering latent DNA from real crime items, leading to more informative DNA ....Visualisation of latent DNA. This project aims to deliver a proof-of-concept that allows visualisation of invisible DNA (latent DNA) into a quick, inexpensive and practical DNA collection method that will lead to DNA evidence being available in more cases. It will build upon a proof-of-concept method ready for transferal to forensic casework. This will allow DNA evidence recovery technicians to improve their hit rate in recovering latent DNA from real crime items, leading to more informative DNA profiles. Crime items that currently yield no genetic information will now be informative, assisting investigations of serious crimes or terrorist incidents.Read moreRead less
Next-generation latent fingermark detection using functional nanomaterials. Next-generation latent fingermark detection using functional nanomaterials. This project aims to develop a nanotechnology-based fingermark detection technique applicable in standard police laboratories and crime scenes. Current methods only detect half the fingermarks on an object, so many criminals are not identified. This project will use silicon oxide nanoparticles with a luminescent dye to target fingermark secretion ....Next-generation latent fingermark detection using functional nanomaterials. Next-generation latent fingermark detection using functional nanomaterials. This project aims to develop a nanotechnology-based fingermark detection technique applicable in standard police laboratories and crime scenes. Current methods only detect half the fingermarks on an object, so many criminals are not identified. This project will use silicon oxide nanoparticles with a luminescent dye to target fingermark secretion components and address interference from substrate chemistries and background luminescence. Moving away from traditional detection methods is expected to improve law enforcement outcomes, as fingermarks that current technologies cannot detect will be visualised for the first time.Read moreRead less
Establishing an accurate chemical volatile profile of decomposition for use in victim recovery in mass disaster and forensic investigations. This project will advance forensic science by identifying a complete chemical profile of human decomposition scent. It will result in the development of a more accurate training scent aid to enhance the response of cadaver detection dogs deployed to scenes of mass disasters involving human remains.
Rapid CYBERNOSE ® detection of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. Rapid CYBERNOSE ® detection of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. This project aims to develop a novel biosensor prototype based on CYBERNOSE® technology to rapidly identify volatile traces of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals in concealed environments. The CYBERNOSE® technology employs sensors using the highly sophisticated and sensitive olfactory receptors of microscopic nematode worms linked to an optoelectronic det ....Rapid CYBERNOSE ® detection of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. Rapid CYBERNOSE ® detection of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. This project aims to develop a novel biosensor prototype based on CYBERNOSE® technology to rapidly identify volatile traces of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals in concealed environments. The CYBERNOSE® technology employs sensors using the highly sophisticated and sensitive olfactory receptors of microscopic nematode worms linked to an optoelectronic detector. The need for rapid, non-contact screening devices to detect and identify illicit drugs and precursors entering Australia has never been greater. Law enforcement agencies should directly benefit from the capability to more rapidly screen people and cargo, improving efficiency of illicit drug detection and protection of our borders.Read moreRead less
Illicit drug profiling in forensic intelligence. Illicit drug profiling in forensic intelligence. This project aims to develop an optimised methodology that uses illicit drug profiling for operational intelligence. The fight against the illicit drug trade suffers from a relatively ineffective use of forensic science, predominantly applied as a reactive tool for court purposes after the commission of a crime, and a general under-utilisation of available information by Australian forensic drug lab ....Illicit drug profiling in forensic intelligence. Illicit drug profiling in forensic intelligence. This project aims to develop an optimised methodology that uses illicit drug profiling for operational intelligence. The fight against the illicit drug trade suffers from a relatively ineffective use of forensic science, predominantly applied as a reactive tool for court purposes after the commission of a crime, and a general under-utilisation of available information by Australian forensic drug laboratories whose scientific results contribute minimally to active operations. This project’s methodology, which uses forensic science proactively for intelligence rather than reactively for courts, is expected to make the fight against organised crime more effective and support the three pillars of the Australian National Drug Strategy (supply, demand and harm reduction).Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100109
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$460,157.00
Summary
Sexual offence interviewing: Towards victim-survivor well-being and justice. This project aims to improve the way victim-survivors are interviewed in sexual offence cases by examining their experiences and perceptions of investigative interview techniques. It expects to generate new knowledge about interview techniques that can promote victim well-being and the disclosure of sensitive information during investigative interviews. Expected outcomes include new theoretical frameworks in the field o ....Sexual offence interviewing: Towards victim-survivor well-being and justice. This project aims to improve the way victim-survivors are interviewed in sexual offence cases by examining their experiences and perceptions of investigative interview techniques. It expects to generate new knowledge about interview techniques that can promote victim well-being and the disclosure of sensitive information during investigative interviews. Expected outcomes include new theoretical frameworks in the field of investigative interviewing and an innovative toolkit of victim-centred training resources to directly inform investigative interview policies and practices in sexual offence cases. Anticipated benefits include better victim experiences of investigative interviews and enhanced justice responses to sexual violence.Read moreRead less
Universal immunogenic reagents for the detection of latent fingermarks. This project will deliver the first antibody reagents for the routine detection of natural fingermarks. This will assist law enforcement agencies to provide a safer society through improved crime clearance, as they will be able to enhance and detect fingermarks that otherwise remain undetected with current techniques (e.g. fingermarks on human skin).
Who should join the suspect in a police photo array? The traditional police line-up often produces inaccurate decisions, with witnesses failing to pick the culprit or picking an innocent suspect. Surprisingly, despite all the scientific advances with respect to the collection of eyewitness evidence, there is absolutely no objective basis for selecting the ‘fillers’ to accompany the suspect in the line-up. Guidelines merely suggest the fillers should not be too similar or too dissimilar to the su ....Who should join the suspect in a police photo array? The traditional police line-up often produces inaccurate decisions, with witnesses failing to pick the culprit or picking an innocent suspect. Surprisingly, despite all the scientific advances with respect to the collection of eyewitness evidence, there is absolutely no objective basis for selecting the ‘fillers’ to accompany the suspect in the line-up. Guidelines merely suggest the fillers should not be too similar or too dissimilar to the suspect. However, the fillers are likely to have a crucial influence on decision accuracy. This project aims to remedy this striking deficiency by developing and testing a flexible and universally applicable methodology for photo array composition that will optimise judgmental discriminability and curtail bias.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100357
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$427,320.00
Summary
What determines your face identification accuracy? Accurate face identification underpins normal social functioning and important identity verification procedures in society, government and the justice system. However, there is little understanding of the cognitive processes that give rise to individual differences in face identification. This project aims to develop a new cognitive model that characterises how holistic and part-based processing combine to determine individual differences in fac ....What determines your face identification accuracy? Accurate face identification underpins normal social functioning and important identity verification procedures in society, government and the justice system. However, there is little understanding of the cognitive processes that give rise to individual differences in face identification. This project aims to develop a new cognitive model that characterises how holistic and part-based processing combine to determine individual differences in face identification. Expected benefits include advancing knowledge of human face perception, and evidence-based training and personnel selection tools to improve decision accuracy, help police prevent crime and terrorism, and avoid wrongful conviction of innocent suspects.Read moreRead less