Scene authority
Definition
The legal right to control access to and activity at an investigation site. In a criminal context this usually rests with the police, but it can be shared with or delegated to a coroner, a licensed specialist, or an international body.
Related terms
- Burial Act 1857
- UK legislation requiring a Ministry of Justice licence before any exhumation from a registered burial ground. The licence specifies the purpose, practitioner,...
- Chain of custody
- The unbroken documentary trail of who held a sealed exhibit, when, and under what seal, from the moment of collection through analysis...
- Coroner's jurisdiction
- The authority of a coroner to investigate deaths where the cause is unknown, unnatural, or occurred in custody. In England and Wales,...
- Expert witness vs. scene manager
- Scene manager is a field role: the practitioner controlling the physical recovery and recording. Expert witness is a court role: the person...
- International humanitarian law (IHL)
- The body of law, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, governing the conduct of armed conflict. IHL includes obligations to...
Explained in
- Legal Framework and Scene AuthorityThe legal right to control access to and activity at an investigation site. In a criminal context this usually rests with the police, but it can be shared with...