Students make gruesome finds at forensic facility

Students make gruesome finds at forensic facility

The University’s Hawkesbury campus is now the scene for illegal drug labs, blood smeared weapons and buried corpses... in its new forensic science centre.

Launched in July, the Crime Scene Investigation, Research and Training Facility – jointly owned by UWS and the NSW Police Force – is the first purpose-built crime scene facility in Australia.

With a residential home, drug lab, garage and outdoor area where evidence can be buried, the facility injects a dose of gruesome reality into students’ crime scene investigations.

Forensic science students can now hone their skills by analysing blood-spatter patterns, swabbing for DNA, and examining pig carcass grave sites to learn about decomposition.

Glenn Porter, Head of the Forensic Science program at UWS, says it’s vital forensic science students experience realistic scenarios.

"In real life, a crime scene is extraordinarily complex. Students need to know what to look for and what to bag for further analysis,” he says.

In the new facility, lecturers stage crime scenes for their students by strategically planting evidence, ranging from a single strand of hair to a weapon hidden under a cushion. After being given a brief, students are released into the scenario room where they are evaluated on how successfully they navigate the crime scene and identify key pieces of evidence.

Bachelor of Science (Honours) student Robert has already had the opportunity to don a crime scene suit and investigate a simulated robbery.

“Participating in these simulated crime scenes is literally as close as we can get to experiencing the real deal,” he says.

“The facility would be the envy of any university in Australia that teaches forensics,” according to Aaron Flint, who is soon to commence postgraduate study in forensic science.

Bachelor Science (Honours) student Samantha Walker concurs, describing the facility as “very cool”. “It even has a designated area for setting up blood-spatter patterns on the walls – a very messy exercise,” she says.

Not limited to forensic students, the facility will also be used by the NSW Police, in addition to a range of other UWS students selecting forensic units to support their own study disciplines.