Last updated 14:20, Thursday, 11 December 2008

Do the muddy tyre tracks have a story to tell? And what about the footprints squelched across soggy grass?

Vicky Allen searches for evidence

Welcome to Cow Pasture Cottage. The innocuous name hides a multitude of sins. Everything here is potentially vital evidence. Leave no stone unturned, because who knows what might lurk beneath?

From the outside there is little to mark this sandstone building as a house of horrors. But, as DCI Jim Taggart would doubtless have said, “There’s been a murder.”

In fact, there have been dozens of them. And burglaries. And sex attacks.

Not the kind of thing you might expect just outside Penrith, where the crime rate is among the UK’s lowest.

But Cow Pasture Cottage is more like something you’d see in Midsomer Murders.

The house belongs to the University of Cumbria and is used by forensic science students at its Newton Rigg campus. Tutors leave clues such as hairs and fibres to help solve imaginary crimes. The students have to find them and take them to the lab for analysis.

They are training to be the next generation of forensic scientists, as seen on screen from Quincy to Silent Witness and CSI.

And in the real world these skills are solving increasing numbers of crimes. The sixth sense of a detective remains invaluable. But often it’s the meticulous efforts of police crime scene investigators which piece together the evidence to secure a prosecution.

“It’s a blank canvas,” says course leader Nigel Smith of Cow Pasture Cottage. The name lingers on from its former life as a farm worker’s home. It is referred to here, rather less romantically, as “the crime house”.

About 60 students study forensic science at Newton Rigg. Sixteen and 17-year-olds take a National Diploma while over-18s study a two-year foundation degree, with the option of a third year BSc.

The degree course concentrates on two key areas. First, students search for evidence. Second, if they manage to collect it, they take it to the laboratory for analysis.

The first-year degree students have had weeks of lectures. Their syllabus includes examining how the presence of certain insects in a corpse can help to determine time of death. Nice.

This cold December morning, nine of them are in the crime house for the first time. Seven women and two men reflects the increasing popularity of forensic science with women.

The students are joined by a real-life crime-scene investigator. Jon Routledge has been a CSI with Cumbria Police for 15 years and he shares his expertise with the university on a part-time basis.

“The reality is different to Hollywood,” says Jon, who has seen his job portrayed by TV and film characters who are sun-kissed, hard-bitten, hard-drinking or any combination of the above.

“The basis of what they show is sound because they’ve got technical advisors. But they’ve got to glamorise it. You see them all driving Humvees.”

The students are familiar with the fictional world. They mention Silent Witness and Without A Trace as shows which, in some cases, helped sparked their interest. But the prospect of glamour does not seem to be what brought them to Cow Pasture Cottage.

Clair Hover, 30, came to Newton Rigg from Bedfordshire. She used to be a chef. “I just got bored with it,” she says. “The problem-solving aspect attracted me to forensics.”

Christine McQuade from Dumfries left the armed forces for forensic science. “I’ve always been interested in it. I’d like to go into ballistics.

“You might think it’s really glamorous. Then we’re standing here freezing.”

Jon Routledge is brushing a dark brown liquid over some marks on a sheet of metal. When the silicon-based paint dries he peels it off. The underside leaves a clear impression of whatever tool was used to make the mark. Very handy for using on window frames or other areas where entry was forced. “Should we arrest somebody with that tool in their possession, that can be taken into account,” explains Jon.

Adhesive tape is used for lifting fibres and hairs. To make things more difficult, and more realistic, red herrings are left. Students need to work out what’s relevant and what isn’t.

A smear on the window might be blood, or it might be varnish. They must learn an on-the-spot test to establish if it is blood. Horses’ blood and bulls’ semen are used here.

“We try to simulate things as accurately as possible,” says Nigel Smith. “The idea is that students won’t be fazed when they start work.”

Some former students are now working as CSIs. One of them, Deborah Parsley, works for Lancashire Police and lectures here part-time.

But there are several forensic science courses around the UK and not enough CSI jobs to accommodate all the graduates.

Fortunately many of the skills are transferable. DNA analysis can be used in the medical world, whether paternity testing or looking for specific genes.

The kind of chemistry skills used to determine if petrol was poured onto a fire can be transferred to industry.

Some students realise that life as a CSI does not suit them. Long, laborious hours, looking for something that may not even be there. Then there’s the gore. Often blood, of course, but faeces is often found at crime scenes, particularly burglaries. Offenders can get very nervous. Forensic science students may be relieved to learn that these conditions are not recreated in Cow Pasture Cottage.

Faeces can occasionally be used to gather evidence. Thankfully the most common sources are DNA, fingerprints and footprints.

“When I started in this job DNA wasn’t used,” says Jon Routledge. “We just used blood groups. DNA is an extremely powerful tool and fingerprints are still the old reliable.”

Surely his knowledge makes him capable of committing the perfect crime? He smiles. “I always say there’s no such thing. There’s certain precautions you can take to avoid leaving forensic evidence but you’ll always leave something. The tiniest thing can be crucial.”

He recalls a burglary in west Cumbria. The burglar had worn gloves but one of the fingers had a small hole which exposed a fragment of fingerprint – enough to press charges.

“A common misconception is that solving crimes is all about the flashes of brilliance. It’s not. It’s about observational skills, being methodical and thorough.

“On TV when you find the key piece of evidence everything falls into place. In most enquiries it’s about building little bits of evidence. It’s rare that one piece suddenly clinches it.”

The students have much to learn but it’s a journey which has enthralled generations of crime-scene investigators, crime writers, crime readers and TV viewers.

Nigel Smith ponders the popularity of his forensic science courses. “I don’t know if it’s an in-built curiosity to work crimes out,” he says.

“People are always fascinated by the dark side. The more someone kills, the more other people are fascinated by them.”

To find out more about the University of Cumbria’s forensic science courses call 01768 893573 or visit www.cumbria.ac.uk