SOCO
Definition
Scene Of Crime Officer; a trained forensic officer or team responsible for documentation, search, collection and forwarding of evidence.
- Full form
- Scene Of Crime Officer
- Core duties
- Documentation, search, collection, forwarding
- Role type
- Trained forensic officer or team
- Terminology region
- UK and Commonwealth usage
Common questions
Is a SOCO the same role as a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)?+
They perform largely equivalent functions, documenting and recovering physical evidence at a scene, but SOCO is the term more commonly used in the UK and some Commonwealth jurisdictions, while CSI is more common in the United States. The specific title, training, and reporting structure vary by agency.
Does a SOCO also interpret or analyse the evidence they collect?+
Generally no. A SOCO's role centres on scene documentation, systematic search, and proper collection and packaging of evidence for forwarding to a laboratory; detailed forensic analysis and interpretation is typically handled afterward by specialist examiners.
Why is the order of documentation and collection at a scene important for a SOCO?+
Evidence at a scene can be fragile or transient, so a SOCO follows a defined sequence, photographing and recording context before anything is moved, to preserve the spatial relationships and condition of items that a court may later need to evaluate.
Related terms
- Cordoning
- Marking the scene boundary with tape, rope or barriers to control entry and protect evidence.
- Crime Scene
- Any physical location where a criminal act has occurred or where evidence of it can reasonably be found. Indian practice extends this...
- Indoor Scene
- A scene enclosed by built structure (room, house, shop). Easier to protect from weather and intruders.
- Macro Scene
- The overall scene viewed as one whole (the room, the field, the vehicle interior).
- Micro Scene
- Small high-yield zones within the macro scene (the body, the point of forced entry, the weapon position, blood pools).
- Mobile Scene
- A scene in a moving conveyance (car, train, boat, aircraft). Combines outdoor-style exposure with confined-space search problems.
- Outdoor Scene
- An open-air scene (field, road, forest). Most vulnerable to weather, animals and unauthorised entry.
- Primary Scene
- The location where the main criminal event occurred: where the body was found, where the attack took place, where a safe was...
- Secondary Scene
- Any location linked to the crime but separate from the main event: a vehicle used to transport a victim, a disposal site,...