It's not the message that keeps you here

I'm tired. Weird, sometimes, when the first day back leaves you more tired than the rest of the week.

Still, I think...hope...I've got Thursday off. Just me and the husband, for an entire (school-length) day ;)


Anyway, RSF asked about the difference between an outer and inner cordon (for bread making...but usually for a crime scene.

Well, in Sherlock's words: "The outer one is blue and the inner one is red and says inner cordon."

There...what more do you need to know?

But seriously. Depending on the situation, we can have up to four 'cordons' - vehicle, outer, inner and crime scene. Usually we have outer, inner, scene.

The outer cordon is for the public. We stop the general public getting past a certain point, for various reasons. They get in the way. They see disturbing things. If we have to arrest someone at the scene they could potentially be in danger. We can't control lots of people if we also have witnesses to protect/isolate. Etc.

Also, we usually have a fleet of vehicles by the time we're all there. Forensics vans, original responding officer vehicles. Ambulances. Meat wagons. My car ;). Sometimes Fire engines. And we don't like people touching our stuff. Or stealing the contents. So we park them inside the outer cordon, if needs be. But generally, anyone we like can trample about in there and not compromise the scene.

The inner cordon is like, invite only. So most plod won't get in there, and often we'll want people to be getting into/out of their crime scene clothing (the paper suits, over shoes, gloves) in that area. It'll be where the emergency services usually co-ordinate, away from earwigging press and public.

And then we have the crime scene. Very strictly controlled. At that point we usually have these stepping stones that we put down, so none of us walk on the floor. We try to very clearly indicate where the first responders went, and follow that path, so we don't contaminate anything else.

After we've established there is nothing that can be done to help the victim (or if they've been carted off to hospital), and we're sure it's safe, we'll get everything photographed, sketched, noted, swabbed, sampled, then removed and recorded.

Every time you cross a cordon it's recorded. We know where everyone at the scene was all the time.

Of course, being the emergency services, everything has a million acronyms. The most amusing seem to be saved for the most serious circumstances. I don't know who they pay to come up with it all.

But basically, if the Fire Brigade say IMIP, and the Ambulance service say METHANE.... then we have to think SAD CHALET.

No, not making it up...

Anyway, today, went to prison, spoke to a 'friend' of a suspect.

Went to arrest suspect, who, while we restrained and cuffed him, screamed police brutality. Then when we put him in my car to wait for the van to pick him up, proceeeded to bash his head against the window, leading to blood everywhere. Fantastic start to the week.