Recognition
Definition
The judgement call that a particular item or trace is evidence worth collecting. The hardest stage, because everything downstream depends on what you flagged in the first place.
- Stage
- Evidence processing, first step
- Nature
- Judgement call, not a fixed procedure
- Consequence of error
- Evidence never collected or analysed
- Companion stages
- Discovery and examination
Common questions
Why is recognition considered harder than the physical collection steps that follow it?+
Collection and examination follow trained protocols once an item is identified, but recognition depends on the examiner's experience and judgement to notice which traces are relevant among everything present at a scene, and there is no checklist that guarantees nothing was missed.
What happens to a piece of physical evidence that fails the recognition stage?+
It is simply never flagged, collected, or documented, so it is permanently unavailable to later analysis regardless of how thorough subsequent laboratory work is, which is why training and scene protocols emphasise this step heavily.
Related terms
- Forwarding Memo
- The transmittal document that accompanies a sealed packet to the FSL. Most Indian states use a state-numbered Form carrying the IO's signature,...
- Primary Container
- The packaging that is in direct contact with the evidence item: a bindle, an evidence bag, a rigid box. The primary container...
- Secondary Container
- The outer envelope that holds the primary container, the case-identifying label and the tamper-evident seal.
- Tamper-Evident Seal
- A physical barrier (tape, sticker, wax) applied to packaging that shows visible damage if the package has been opened after sealing. Courts...