Definition of proof: The evidence or argument that compels the mind to accept an assertion as true.
Definition of evidence: The documentary or oral statements and the material objects admissible as testimony in a court of law.
Most people think that proof and evidence are the same concepts, but they are not. As stated supra, evidence is the material information that the court relies on to base the facts. Proof on the other hand is when the court decides if the evidence is proven or not. The evidence has to be in accordance to the law to prove a fact.
There are two different types of proof: prima facie proof and conclusive proof.
Prima facie proof is a fact that at first sight seems to be proven, but may later be disproven. Conclusive proof is proof that is indisputable, it is conclusive.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Responsibilities of an Investigator at the Mortuary
• The clothing of the victim (deceased) has to be described in detail and photographs have to be taken of each of the pieces of clothing.
• Other items found on the body (wallet, cell phone, etc.) along with the deceased’s clothing has to seized and given to the exhibit officer.
• The deceased’s blood must be drawn and in accordance to the exhibit officer’s prescribed manner be dispatched to the Laboratory.
• Under the supervision of the pathologist, photographs must be taken of the deceased’s body.
• If a body is unidentifiable, fingerprints must be taken from the body.
• Statements or particulars must be taken from ambulance drivers and of the drivers of the mortuary vans.
• Relatives must be taken to the mortuary to identify the deceased.
• In case there are many bodies, a video must be made and shown to relatives in groups in order to save time.
• Other items found on the body (wallet, cell phone, etc.) along with the deceased’s clothing has to seized and given to the exhibit officer.
• The deceased’s blood must be drawn and in accordance to the exhibit officer’s prescribed manner be dispatched to the Laboratory.
• Under the supervision of the pathologist, photographs must be taken of the deceased’s body.
• If a body is unidentifiable, fingerprints must be taken from the body.
• Statements or particulars must be taken from ambulance drivers and of the drivers of the mortuary vans.
• Relatives must be taken to the mortuary to identify the deceased.
• In case there are many bodies, a video must be made and shown to relatives in groups in order to save time.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Solvability Factors
There are 12 Solvability Factors namely:
1. Witnesses to a crime
2. Knowledge of a suspect’s name
3. Knowledge where a suspect can be located
4. Description of a suspect
5. Identification of a suspect
6. Property with identifiable characteristics, marks, or numbers, so it can be traced
7. A significant modus operandi
8. Significant physical evidence
9. Description that identifies the vehicle used by the suspect
10. Positive results from a crime scene evidence search
11. Belief that a crime may be solved with reasonable additional investigative effort
12. Opportunity for, but one person to have committed the crime
1. Witnesses to a crime
2. Knowledge of a suspect’s name
3. Knowledge where a suspect can be located
4. Description of a suspect
5. Identification of a suspect
6. Property with identifiable characteristics, marks, or numbers, so it can be traced
7. A significant modus operandi
8. Significant physical evidence
9. Description that identifies the vehicle used by the suspect
10. Positive results from a crime scene evidence search
11. Belief that a crime may be solved with reasonable additional investigative effort
12. Opportunity for, but one person to have committed the crime
Dying Declaration
According toe Hiemstra’s Suid-Afrikaanse Strafproses 4th edition Article 223 regarding dying declarations (sterfbed verklaring), a person who is conscious and knows that death is imminent may give a verbal or written statement (that does not have to be under oath) concerning what he or she believes to be the cause or circumstances of death that can be introduced into evidence during a trial in certain cases.
Such a statement would normally be barred as hearsay but may nonetheless be admitted as evidence in certain kinds of cases because it constituted the last words of a dying person. Nemo moriturus preasumitur mentiri means a dying person is presumed not to lie. A dying declaration is considered credible and trustworthy evidence based upon the general belief that most people who know that they are about to die do not lie. As a result, it is an exception to the Hearsay rule, which prohibits the use of a statement made by someone other than the person who repeats it while testifying during a trial, because of its inherent untrustworthiness.
In the case of R v Nzobi 1932 WLD 98, the dying person said in a written statement “Having the fear of death upon me and no hope of recovery”, the court investigated the matter and found that the dying person still had hope of recovery, and the statement became inadmissible in court.
So, the court has to investigate the use of words and the circumstances to determine the trustworthiness of a dying declaration. The statement is not allowed to be made with information seeking questions, and a witness has to be present.
Lastly, it is not necessary to give the ipsissima verba, the exact words as in R v Baloi 1949 1 SA 491.
My suggestions is that a dying declaration be taken before the person dies, with a witness present, the statement be given in court as evidence, and then that the court has to investigate the declaration and the circumstances, so that the accused may be found guilty.
Such a statement would normally be barred as hearsay but may nonetheless be admitted as evidence in certain kinds of cases because it constituted the last words of a dying person. Nemo moriturus preasumitur mentiri means a dying person is presumed not to lie. A dying declaration is considered credible and trustworthy evidence based upon the general belief that most people who know that they are about to die do not lie. As a result, it is an exception to the Hearsay rule, which prohibits the use of a statement made by someone other than the person who repeats it while testifying during a trial, because of its inherent untrustworthiness.
In the case of R v Nzobi 1932 WLD 98, the dying person said in a written statement “Having the fear of death upon me and no hope of recovery”, the court investigated the matter and found that the dying person still had hope of recovery, and the statement became inadmissible in court.
So, the court has to investigate the use of words and the circumstances to determine the trustworthiness of a dying declaration. The statement is not allowed to be made with information seeking questions, and a witness has to be present.
Lastly, it is not necessary to give the ipsissima verba, the exact words as in R v Baloi 1949 1 SA 491.
My suggestions is that a dying declaration be taken before the person dies, with a witness present, the statement be given in court as evidence, and then that the court has to investigate the declaration and the circumstances, so that the accused may be found guilty.
Examples of Theft by False Pretences
- X tells Y that he can fix television sets, and Y agrees that X may fix her TV, but X never returns the TV.
- X convinces Y to hand over his Rolex so he can furnish him with a valuation certificate, and then X disappears with Y’s Rolex.
- X borrows a bicycle from Y, with the promise to return it, but X never does…
- X takes a wedding band from a goldsmith to show his “fiancé”, and vanishes.
- X tells Y that he can fix shoes, and Y agrees that X may fix two pairs of her shoes, but X never returns the shoes.
- X convinces Y to hand over his Rolex so he can furnish him with a valuation certificate, and then X disappears with Y’s Rolex.
- X borrows a bicycle from Y, with the promise to return it, but X never does…
- X takes a wedding band from a goldsmith to show his “fiancé”, and vanishes.
- X tells Y that he can fix shoes, and Y agrees that X may fix two pairs of her shoes, but X never returns the shoes.
Examples of Corruption.
- X goes for his driver’s license test and puts a bottle of Klipdrift under test official Y’s seat. Y finds the bottle and immediately passes X’s driver’s license.
- X gets pulled over for speeding by Y, when Y asks X for his license, X hands him R500 and Y lets him go with a warning.
- X tenders for a contract from Y, X “gifts” Y with a brand new Audi and receives gets the contract from Y.
- In the case of Hansie Cronje where he accepted gratification, to rig a cricket game, to convince certain batsmen to reach or not reach a certain target.
- If I enclosed R500 into this assignment to convince the moderator to give me excellent marks, that would be corruption.
- X gets pulled over for speeding by Y, when Y asks X for his license, X hands him R500 and Y lets him go with a warning.
- X tenders for a contract from Y, X “gifts” Y with a brand new Audi and receives gets the contract from Y.
- In the case of Hansie Cronje where he accepted gratification, to rig a cricket game, to convince certain batsmen to reach or not reach a certain target.
- If I enclosed R500 into this assignment to convince the moderator to give me excellent marks, that would be corruption.
Examples of Commercial Crime related Common Law Theft
- X steals Y’s cheque book, but gets caught before he can use it.
- X works at a receiving desk at the government printers Y, 50 printer cartridges get delivered, and X takes 5 cartridges and puts it in the back of his vehicle.
- X works at the embossing department at a bank. She takes 2 boxes of un-embossed cards with the intention of selling it on the black market.
- X, a drivers license official signs for 3 face value documents, but takes 5.
- X, a Metro Police Officer fills up the patrol vehicle at the municipality’s expense, later he takes the patrol vehicle to his house and takes out 10 liters of petrol for his personal vehicle.
- X works at a receiving desk at the government printers Y, 50 printer cartridges get delivered, and X takes 5 cartridges and puts it in the back of his vehicle.
- X works at the embossing department at a bank. She takes 2 boxes of un-embossed cards with the intention of selling it on the black market.
- X, a drivers license official signs for 3 face value documents, but takes 5.
- X, a Metro Police Officer fills up the patrol vehicle at the municipality’s expense, later he takes the patrol vehicle to his house and takes out 10 liters of petrol for his personal vehicle.
Examples of Forgery and Uttering
- X writes a prescription on a prescription pad that belongs to Dr. Y in order to obtain prescription medication unlawfully. X presents the forged prescription to Chemist Z, knowing that the prescription is forged.
- X applies for a job at Company Y, with a High School Certificate that he bought from Z.
- X, a Zimbabwean, buys an ID document from Y in order to get a job at company Z.
- X buys a driver’s license from Y, and a week later presents the document to Metro Police officer Y as a valid driver’s license.
- X steals a cheque out of Y’s mailbox and changes the beneficiary name to his name, then banks the cheque at Bank Z.
- X applies for a job at Company Y, with a High School Certificate that he bought from Z.
- X, a Zimbabwean, buys an ID document from Y in order to get a job at company Z.
- X buys a driver’s license from Y, and a week later presents the document to Metro Police officer Y as a valid driver’s license.
- X steals a cheque out of Y’s mailbox and changes the beneficiary name to his name, then banks the cheque at Bank Z.
Potential Prejudice
The crime of fraud is defined as the unlawful intentional making of a misrepresentation that causes actual or potential prejudice. So, in order for there to be fraud, all four elements have to be present.
Potential prejudice means that there was an intention to cause harm, but it did not succeed. A practical example is if X steals a credit card in the name of Y, walks into a shop, with the credit card, gets groceries, and at the till the sales person recognizes that the credit card can not belong to X, and the transaction is not made, potential prejudice is present. Y however was not potentially prejudiced. Although the card has Y’s name and signature on it, the credit card itself belongs to the Bank. The bank was potentially prejudiced, and the Bank will be the complainant in the court case.
Y is not the victim. Y did not suffer potential prejudice.
It can be determined then that if the sales person agreed to the sale, prejudice would have occurred.
For potential prejudice to be proved there has to be a risk that prejudice was possible. Only the possibility of prejudice has to be present, and that the misrepresentation is “good enough” to have deceived a sensible person. If the misrepresentation is unbelievable to a sensible person, there is no potential prejudice. Prejudice also does not have to be suffered by the party who the misrepresentation is made; it can be to a third party as well. As in my example supra, the prejudice would have been suffered by the Bank, not the grocery shop. Even though the sales person did not believe the misrepresentation, the potential prejudice was still a factor. If X had gone to a different store and they accepted the transaction, the Bank would have suffered a loss.
Potential prejudice means that there was an intention to cause harm, but it did not succeed. A practical example is if X steals a credit card in the name of Y, walks into a shop, with the credit card, gets groceries, and at the till the sales person recognizes that the credit card can not belong to X, and the transaction is not made, potential prejudice is present. Y however was not potentially prejudiced. Although the card has Y’s name and signature on it, the credit card itself belongs to the Bank. The bank was potentially prejudiced, and the Bank will be the complainant in the court case.
Y is not the victim. Y did not suffer potential prejudice.
It can be determined then that if the sales person agreed to the sale, prejudice would have occurred.
For potential prejudice to be proved there has to be a risk that prejudice was possible. Only the possibility of prejudice has to be present, and that the misrepresentation is “good enough” to have deceived a sensible person. If the misrepresentation is unbelievable to a sensible person, there is no potential prejudice. Prejudice also does not have to be suffered by the party who the misrepresentation is made; it can be to a third party as well. As in my example supra, the prejudice would have been suffered by the Bank, not the grocery shop. Even though the sales person did not believe the misrepresentation, the potential prejudice was still a factor. If X had gone to a different store and they accepted the transaction, the Bank would have suffered a loss.
In-house Background Check
There are three steps in performing an in-house employment background check:
1. Ensure that you have all the required forms:
- The applicant’s application form, from when he/she applied at the company.
- Permission from the applicant to perform a background check, also known as staff vetting, which means that all applicants are screened thoroughly before employment is offered.
The following should be checked as part of the screening process:
• references,
• criminal records,
• civil records,
• disciplinary records,
• insolvency,
• other businesses,
• qualifications – CV audit,
• technical competence,
• psychometric testing
2. Confirm that the information given in correct, some companies conduct an interview, and then only if the interview is successful, they perform a background check.
3. Conduct the applicant’s interview using Statement Analysis Techniques.
1. Ensure that you have all the required forms:
- The applicant’s application form, from when he/she applied at the company.
- Permission from the applicant to perform a background check, also known as staff vetting, which means that all applicants are screened thoroughly before employment is offered.
The following should be checked as part of the screening process:
• references,
• criminal records,
• civil records,
• disciplinary records,
• insolvency,
• other businesses,
• qualifications – CV audit,
• technical competence,
• psychometric testing
2. Confirm that the information given in correct, some companies conduct an interview, and then only if the interview is successful, they perform a background check.
3. Conduct the applicant’s interview using Statement Analysis Techniques.
Psychological Profiling
A psychological profile is mistaken by most people to be a profile for any criminal. A psychological profile is only compiled when a serial killer is involved. This profile is compiled by a researcher who has a great knowledge of psychology.
Psychological profiling may be described as a method of suspect identification which seeks to identify a person's mental, emotional, and personality characteristics, as manifested in things done or left at the crime scene.The researcher compiles a profile by looking at the way the serial killer leaves the crime scene, and the serial killer’s modus operandi. The main objective with profiling a serial killer is to understand his motivation and his behaviour. To determine the offender typology a series of questions have to be asked about the crime scene and the offender’s actions, and then be answered in terms of the psychological typology of a serial killer.
Serial killers differ in many ways, including their motivations for killing and their behavior at the crime scene. A serial killer is a person who kills a series of people. For profiling to be successful, the series of murders has to link the offender to all of them.
Some investigators create a profile and then try to match a person to this profile, but in actual fact, you have to imagine the person and then create a profile that matches the person.
Psychological profiling may be described as a method of suspect identification which seeks to identify a person's mental, emotional, and personality characteristics, as manifested in things done or left at the crime scene.The researcher compiles a profile by looking at the way the serial killer leaves the crime scene, and the serial killer’s modus operandi. The main objective with profiling a serial killer is to understand his motivation and his behaviour. To determine the offender typology a series of questions have to be asked about the crime scene and the offender’s actions, and then be answered in terms of the psychological typology of a serial killer.
Serial killers differ in many ways, including their motivations for killing and their behavior at the crime scene. A serial killer is a person who kills a series of people. For profiling to be successful, the series of murders has to link the offender to all of them.
Some investigators create a profile and then try to match a person to this profile, but in actual fact, you have to imagine the person and then create a profile that matches the person.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
List of questions to determine if an action is ethical or not:
- Does the action conflict with the ethics policy?
- Does the action conflict with the code of conduct?
- Is the action legal or illegal?
- Could the action cause prejudice or potential prejudice to the company or the employees?
- Does the action require authorisation?
- Who is responsible for the action?
- Does the action require dishonesty?
- What emotions are involved with taking action?
- Does the action require specific training?
- Does the action conflict with the code of conduct?
- Is the action legal or illegal?
- Could the action cause prejudice or potential prejudice to the company or the employees?
- Does the action require authorisation?
- Who is responsible for the action?
- Does the action require dishonesty?
- What emotions are involved with taking action?
- Does the action require specific training?
Limiting Exposure to Fraud when Employing New Staff
If an organization is to prevent fraud successfully it must have effective policies that minimize the chance of hiring or promoting individuals with low levels of honesty, especially for position of trust.
Pro-active procedures should include the following, before appointing any employee:
• Conduct a background investigation on the individual who apply for employment or for promoting to a position of trust.
• Thoroughly checking a candidate’s education, employment history and personal references.
These above procedures are also known as staff vetting, which means that all applicants are screened thoroughly before employment is offered.
The following should be checked as part of the screening process:
• references,
• criminal records,
• civil records,
• disciplinary records,
• insolvency,
• other businesses,
• qualifications – CV audit,
• technical competence,
• psychometric testing
These preventive measures, however time consuming and costly, would assist them in appointing the correct candidate.
Pro-active procedures should include the following, before appointing any employee:
• Conduct a background investigation on the individual who apply for employment or for promoting to a position of trust.
• Thoroughly checking a candidate’s education, employment history and personal references.
These above procedures are also known as staff vetting, which means that all applicants are screened thoroughly before employment is offered.
The following should be checked as part of the screening process:
• references,
• criminal records,
• civil records,
• disciplinary records,
• insolvency,
• other businesses,
• qualifications – CV audit,
• technical competence,
• psychometric testing
These preventive measures, however time consuming and costly, would assist them in appointing the correct candidate.
Motivating the Need for Fraud Prevention
Cost savings and increased profits - Annual company losses by means of fraud can be prevented by enforcing the right standards and procedures. If a company suffers losses due to crime, prices of goods and services are increased to make up for the losses, in other words, the consumer has to pay the losses. The other expense regarding crime within a company is detection and investigation costs, and implementing of control costs like computer systems, or clock cards. If fraud is decreased by means of internal controls, profits increase.
Reputational risk - In the case of Enron, it became public that the company was defrauded, and Enron then became a company with one of the worst reputations in the world. Having a good company reputation means that the public trusts the company and is willing to invest in such a company. If a company suffers from a negative reputation, shares will decrease, consumers will stop supporting the company, and other companies can choose to terminate contracts or friendships with such a company.
Positive work environment and staff morale - When fraud is discovered, negative feelings arise in a company. Management needs to make critical decisions about disciplining or firing employees, and relationships between all levels of employees are changed, mutual trust is affected. When there is no fraud losses, the company doesn’t suffer any losses, there is no reputational risk, and staff morale does not suffer.
Reputational risk - In the case of Enron, it became public that the company was defrauded, and Enron then became a company with one of the worst reputations in the world. Having a good company reputation means that the public trusts the company and is willing to invest in such a company. If a company suffers from a negative reputation, shares will decrease, consumers will stop supporting the company, and other companies can choose to terminate contracts or friendships with such a company.
Positive work environment and staff morale - When fraud is discovered, negative feelings arise in a company. Management needs to make critical decisions about disciplining or firing employees, and relationships between all levels of employees are changed, mutual trust is affected. When there is no fraud losses, the company doesn’t suffer any losses, there is no reputational risk, and staff morale does not suffer.
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