Identifying Patterns and Links

Identifying patterns and links is a very important stage; as it can help link a potential suspect in one investigation to other crimes within the country, therefore evidence against that individual would build up which means there’s a stronger case for when they present it within court. It could also identify a criminals behaviour therefore they are able to make tactical assessments which can be long or short term which may eventually help catch the criminal, before they commit a crime similar in nature or a change in the individuals behaviour pattern may link them to a potential crime.

This stage can be completed in numerous ways. Firstly, information can be shared between different police forces; therefore one force may receive additional key information that is needed to link a suspect to a particular crime. It can also be done by looking at intelligence, which includes looking into their background information to see if they have any previous convictions.

Referring back to the case of Paul Morin, the York Regional Police shared their information with Durham Regional Police, this was because Jessop originally went missing in their county, however the body was then found in Durham therefore they then took over the investigation. However the Durham Regional Police force criticised the information that was passed onto them by York Regional Police as they believe they didn’t conduct the search effectively and the evidence was not collected and preserved correctly.