AN EVALUATIVE STUDY ON CRIMINALISTICS: STOCK THEFT SCENES

Year 2019, Volume: 11 Issue: 1, 101 - 138, 01.01.2019

Witness Maluleke Rakgetse John Mokwena Sogo A Olofinbiyi

Abstract

The scientific study and evaluation of evidence found at a crime scene
have helped in solving criminal cases resulting in the apprehension of
potential perpetrators, including stock thieves. The locations to obtain
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) evidence are vast, which consist of
clothing, bodily fluids (semen, saliva, sweat, blood), fingerprints,
tissue, skin cells and hair roots, among other things. This paper
evaluates the policing of stock theft through the application of
criminalistics in the form of DNA evidence to link a suspect to stock
theft scenes. The sample for this comprises 15 participants of the
South African Police Service Stock Theft Units (SAPS STUs) in
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), chosen purposively. A qualitative research
approach was adopted for proper analysis.
This paper found that each stock theft scene differs from the next, and
each must be approached with its own merits. It can never be
prescribed to the first investigator, by means of rules and regulations,
on how to proceed with each case. This paper further reveals the
value of criminalistics (DNA materials) and policing in investigating stock theft in the selected SAPS STUs in KZN by confirming that the
accuracy of this application is beyond doubt and when done in the
correct way, the tests conducted are infallible. This paper
recommends that for the effective policing of stock theft by the SAPS
STUs in KZN (Newcastle – Bulwer, Ladysmith and Bulwer –
Pietermaritzburg) the application of criminalistics (DNA) evidence
should be incorporated. This procedure could produce the desired
results with regard to an increase in high-quality maintenance of the
chain of custody during the investigation of these cases.
Key Words: 

Keywords

Crime scene(s), criminalistics, routine activity theory, stock theft, KwaZulu-Natal Stock Theft Units

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