Within the police rapid strides are being made in the direction of professionalising the criminal investigation process, and it has been a particular focus as a means of improving police performance. This work provides a critical approach to the process of criminal investigation, and also the context in which this takes place.

Criminal investigation is rarely out of the headlines nowadays, and this book provides the most comprehensive and authoritative book on this rapidly developing area within the police and other law enforcement agencies. It takes a rigorous, critical approach to not only the process of criminal investigation but also the context in which this takes place, the theory underlying it, and the variety of factors which influence approaches to it.