Portsmouth university study looks into police crime scene plastic use

The amount of plastic waste at crime scenes is "criminal", PhD student Becci Henderson said

A study has been launched into the "criminal waste" of plastic at crime scenes.

Student Becci Henderson is carrying out the investigation as part of her PhD at the University of Portsmouth.

The crime scene investigator (CSI) of 22 years is examining the amount of plastic used by police when cordoning off and investigating serious crimes.

The CSI said one crime scene she was involved in created more than 2kg (4.4lb) of waste.

Ms Henderson said each evidence exhibit generated an average of 55g (1.94oz) of plastic waste.

'Gloves, masks, hairnets'

The student said she had witnessed an "enormous" growth in the use of plastics and explained the purpose of her study was to find a more sustainable approach, including compostable materials.

Ms Henderson said: "At just one job I generated more than two kilograms of waste, which all went in the bin and a lot of it was unused.

"We often can't recycle or reuse the plastic so we need to look at reducing it at source.

"There are improvements that can be made without impacting the quality and integrity of investigations. From an environmental point of view the current situation is criminal."

Plastic was used to protect scenes of crime officers (Socos) as well as to stop cross-contamination of the area being investigated, Ms Henderson said.

Socos are required to wear two pairs of plastic gloves and a mask at most crime scenes as a bare minimum, with the addition of over-suits, hairnets and boots at major crime scenes, she added.

The PhD student said one crime scene generated 2kg (4.4lb) of plastic waste

Plastic drop sheets are deployed at all scenes, with almost everything used to collect evidence incorporating plastic, the former CSI said.

As part of her three-year study, Ms Henderson will look at different approaches used by different forces around the UK before creating suggestions to improve the situation.

In November 2021, the University of Portsmouth launched its Global Plastics Policy Centre to provide evidence to governments and industry groups on how to improve their use of plastics.