ABSTRACT
The layperson’s knowledge of forensic science investigation, whether it be the work carried out by forensic scientists or by forensic pathologists, most likely will have been gained from the somewhat glamorised accounts provided in crime novels, plays and on television. Popular forensic science heroes such as ‘Quincey’ will be familiar to television viewers on both sides of the Atlantic; in the UK, those of an older generation will recall many years ago Marius Goring’s portrayal of The Expert. More recently, the semi-documentary drama series London’s Burning will have brought fire detection and fire-fighting into the living rooms of many. A number of recent documentaries concerning miscarriages of justice have also highlighted the very considerable importance of forensic science work. All these depictions have value if they provide insights, albeit small ones, into the activities of forensic scientists. However, by their very nature, such attempts to appeal to mass readers or audiences cannot depict adequately the painstaking and often unsung efforts of those involved in gathering and fitting together the pieces of a forensic science puzzle. Moreover, as I show in Chapter 7, there are dangers in over-glamorising fire, fire detection and fire-fighting, particularly where children and young persons are concerned.
