We tried Glasgow's CSI event that turns you into amateur detective and learned so much
If you're a true crime fan or just loved the CSI TV shows then we'd definitely recommend you keep your eyes peeled for the next time Crime Con and Think Forensic rolls into town.
Taking place at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow on April 27, the event brought true crime enthusiasts, survivors, criminologists, authors, podcasters, and law enforcement all under one roof to share their stories.
But it was their partnership this year with Think Forensic that really intrigued us, with an immersive experience coming to Scotland this year for the first time that invited people to step into the role of Crime Scene Investigators.
Jumping at the chance to live out our dream of being a real-life Benoit Blanc, Jessica Fletcher or Columbo, we were looking forward to take part in analysing a crime scene, brought by a new partnership between CrimeCon UK.
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What is it and what can you expect?
The interactive CSI experience, a huge hit from both Las Vegas and London CrimeCon events, saw people taken to a crime site, where experts with decades of experience across several disciplines helped them to analyse the scene, gather up the evidence and scrutinise the suspects.
What happened on the day?
Unsure what to expect, we were given our crime sheets and asked to follow Sue Procter, the founder of Think Forensic and an ex-police officer with over two decades as a specialist in car crashes and glass shatter, who led us to a crime scene where we discovered the victim of a heinous crime.
From there, a suited-up expert named Beth Kent then asked us questions about what we could see where we would place those famous yellow number evidence markers and took us through the psychology of the breaking down of a murder scene.
We looked at blood patterns, fibres, placement of the body, possible murder weapons and the other pieces of evidence that make up any crime scene.
From there we then headed out to look at the suspect board, where we learned about the people suspected of the crime before being taken through four important disciplines including hair and fibres, blood, fingerprints and pathology.
Leisa Nichols Drew, a Chartered Forensic Practioner, then took us through how to dust for fingerprints (including lifting our own) and also lifting partials from written notes before Annie Robinson, Forensic Anthropology MSc and podcast host of Grave Secrets, took us through blood spatter and how patterns can be used to work out everything from the direction of the attack to the number of times a person may have been hit.
Our verdict
We won't spoil it by revealing who the killer was, but we had so much fun spending the morning pretending to be a detective, the sheer volume of expertise at hand on the day was mightily impressive with all of the ladies involved proving to be charming and engaging hosts who more than knew their stuff.
Their passion for each of their specialisms clearly showed and we learned far more than we even though possible about everything from Locard's principle (how people interact with a crime scene) to hair analysis and how it can be used to identify a suspect.
True crime fans will love every minute, while even those with a passing interest in crime scene investigation with have fun at what is a truly unique and immersive experience.
You can find out more about Crime Con and Think Forensic via their website.
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