But what is forensic science? We need to clear this up if students, and teachers, are not to be disappointed in what is covered in courses. Forensic science is not really one stream of science, but a way of applying the treasured scientific principle over a number of branches of science. A forensic scientist might be a chemist, a biologist or a physicist. There is also the field of forensic medicine as well as forensic investigators. He or she will usually specialise in specific areas, though in the small, overworked and underpaid field of forensic science many will also be forced to "multi-skill". As a career it is very stable. Many people stay in the field for all their working life and the number of positions available each year is small. Forensic scientists often work on small aspects of a case, trying to fit their "clue" into the bigger picture, sometimes to give a critical lead, sometimes just a supporting piece, sometimes to exclude evidence or suspects, often with no satisfactory result at all.

In today’s talks we will meet various members of the forensic science, police, medical and legal community and examine their role in determining the truth behind a crime scene.

Let us look at the crime.