Forensic Evidence: Fingerprints and Impressions

Forensic techniques are increasingly common not just in police work but also in everyday life. Forensics can be used to prove paternity cases, discover how our forefathers lived and died, prove which inventor or author thought of an idea first, show how old buildings used to look, and so forth. This series examines the latest techniques used in the forensics field to demonstrate how our lives have been transformed by this new science.

Marks can be left on indoor surfaces by exposed hands or feet. Where are they most likely to be left? Door handles, windows, telephones etc How are they detected? Using specialist techniques to take fingerprints from surfaces like polystyrene using magnetic powder. Lip marks on glasses, cups or cigarettes. Teeth or bite marks left in food such as an apple. Impressions left in soft material by someone lying or sitting on them. Footprints left outside in soft ground, such as outside a window. Tire prints left on wet roads or soft ground – how the patterns can be traced back to an automobile’s owner.