Overview

Indicative content: -Features of complex investigations – fraud, organised crime, sexual offending -Range of specialists and resources available -Victims and witnesses and their needs -Cold cases and missing persons -Effectiveness of investigating complex cases and strategies to improve them

Assessment Strategy

-threshold -D- to D+Assessment is based on the degree of engagement with academic literature and student's ability to summarise and critically analyse theory.For a threshold grade, engagement with the academic literature is weak; the student's ability to summarise theory will be mainly descriptive; and there will be little critical analysis and understanding of how theory relates to policing practice.

-good -C- to B+Assessment is based on the degree of engagement with academic literature and student's ability to summarise and critically analyse theory.For a good and very good grade, there will be good engagement with the academic literature, reflected in the use of a wide range of academic sources; the discussion of the academic theory will go beyond mere description and there will be a critical analysis of theory and how it is applied to policing practice.

-excellent -A- to A+Assessment is based on the degree of engagement with academic literature and student's ability to summarise and critically analyse theory.For an excellent grade, there will be extensive engagement with the relevant academic literature; a sophisticated presentation of academic theory and a well developed critical analysis of theory. Students will show an excellent grasp of how theory relates to practice.

Learning Outcomes

• Appreciate the different needs of victims and witnesses in complex crimes

• Examine the additional sources of support and specialists required for investigating complex crime

• Examine the particular features of cold cases and missing persons cases

• Review the effectiveness of complex investigations and strategies to improve these

• Understand processes of investigating more complex crimes