Improvements in Education and Training to Enhance Police Forensic Expertise: Focusing on comparison of overseas cases

The expertise of crime scene investigators directly impacts an organization's overall investigative capacity and external public trust. Consequently, enhancing and continually managing the expertise of individual crime scene investigators is recognized as a crucial aspect of crime scene investigation. Education plays a pivotal role in bolstering capabilities across the police force, including crime scene investigation. However, the domestic training system of crime scene investigation still faces criticisms for various limitations, such as a lack of professionalism in the curriculum and insufficient educational resources. This study aimed to explore the future development of the domestic training system of crime scene investigation by addressing identified issues and necessities. To achieve this goal, the operational framework of the domestic training system of crime scene investigation was examined, and insights were drawn by analyzing training practices in several overseas countries (USA, Canada, France, Japan). Based on the research findings, the following improvement measures for the domestic training system are proposed. First, specialized education by field should be systematically divided based on the strengths of each institution. This approach will help alleviate the training burden on the Police Investigation Training Institute and enable efficient utilization of training resources across institutions. Second, completion periods for each major curriculum should be clearly defined. This strategy aims to enhance the training completion rate of scientific investigators and encourage timely completion based on career stage. Third, the quality of every training courses should be periodically managed. It is essential to periodically review and update training courses for practitioners. Leveraging scientific investigation advisory groups and relevant academic societies can ensure that educational content remains aligned with the scope of duties and current trends in forensic science.