Ian Hitchings
www.ianhitchings.com
True crime writer and author. Ian's website provides help and advice for aspiring writers. Ian is the only true crime author to feature in the Literature Wales database.
Andrew Barrett
What's it like to stand over a murdered body? What do you do first, protect it from the weather, go to the briefing, set up a common approach path...? You're called to a firearms incident where a sawn-off shotgun has been discharged from a car. Do you swab the weapon for Low Copy DNA, do you swab for gunshot residues, can you examine the vehicle and the victim? Does your examination spoil one of the three Operations your force currently has running?
I am a Scenes of Crime Officer working for West Yorkshire Police and have been for ten years, and I am a member of the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners (Speciality: Scene Examination).
I am writing to offer my services to any of your clients who may need 'an insider's' viewpoint or advice concerning crime scene examination. I am happy to provide details of specific procedures and equipment that we use, specific techniques involved in crime scene examination and evidence recovery, contamination issues, protocols and police/civilian interaction. Unfortunately, I cannot give particulars concerning 'real' cases, cannot contravene the Data Protection Act or the Official Secrets Act.
I would be happy to read a passage of work to see if it is factually correct, suggesting revision as required, and I would be happy to answer questions to help the writer achieve his/her goal: authenticity.
My aim is to provide a service to writers, completely free of charge for a three month period. If I receive sufficient queries in that time, I intend to launch a web site benefiting writers, and will charge a fee (no price scales as yet) as a consultant. I am sympathetic towards writers - I am a writer myself, and have been for fifteen years with three crime novels under my belt - all forensically based (I'm 230k words into my fourth), and consider myself tactful and friendly, offering gentle critique on procedures and techniques that will improve a passage or chapter or the overall authenticity of a manuscript.
What I don't aim to do is rewrite manuscripts, advise on matters which, as authors, they will or should already be conversant with (grammar, spelling, viewpoint, vocabulary, etc.) talk down to authors, treat people as idiots... I aim to be fair and approachable. Writers can contact me at
crimewrite@hotmail.co.uk
This web site is Copyright © 2000-2011, Diana Hayden
writers-circles.com
39 Lincoln Way,
Harlington, Beds
LU5 6NG
Phone: (44) 01525 873197
Email: diana@writers-circles.com