How criminologists are trained in the Netherlands

A planned fire in the bedroom, a living corpse in the living room and a screwdriver of a murderer who did not kill anyone — photographer Jeroen Hofman familiarized himself with the curriculum of police academies in the Netherlands.

Shooting gallery in Ossendrecht, where students study weapons and ballistics.

A house with several rooms has been built for practical training at the Apeldoorn Police Academy. The actor reproduces the actions of the criminal in the kitchen — a suit with motion sensors allows you to restore the picture of what happened per second.

According to the training scenario, the murder took place in the living room, but criminologists study all the rooms, and the bedroom is called a "silent witness".

In order not to leave traces at the crime scene, criminologists use plastic stands. The victim's body is examined using a portable 3D scanner.

Students learn how to properly leave the crime scene. According to the rules, all experts working in the house must be dressed in protective suits and shoe covers.

Under the guidance of a medical expert, students learn to conduct a body examination and record details essential to the investigation.

According to the condition of the skin and the nature of the injuries, criminologists can determine the approximate time of the crime.

Specially hired actors act as victims. Traces of violence, wounds and cadaverous spots on the body are painted by makeup artists.

Another practical course is working on the site of fires. Crime scenario: a divorced man deliberately sets fire to his apartment in order to return to his ex-wife and son.

According to the pattern of the spread of fire, criminologists determine that the flame took up at the window. Traces of flammable liquid were found on the carpet. The case can be considered solved.

Car arson is studied separately — the course includes not only theoretical, but also practical classes.

Students independently set fire to cars in different ways and in different conditions, and then examine the scene of the accident and the burned car.

The purpose of the experiment is to learn how to "read" the traces that the fire leaves and find the epicenter of the fire.

In the lessons on electricity, they study the device of household appliances and the types of fires that they can cause. One of the tasks is to start a fire without knocking out the traffic jams.

Work at the body detection site. All the corpses are made of plastic skeletons wrapped in animal meat, and have lain in the ground for more than three months.

After the removal of the remains, the burial site is carefully photographed and documented. White balls are geotags for a 3D scanner.

At a medical center in Amsterdam, students are taught to take fingerprints — the hands of people who have bequeathed their bodies to science are used as models.

By the characteristic traces left on the victim's body, it is possible to determine the murder weapon: it may be a screwdriver, a crowbar, and a screwdriver.

In addition to live actors, various mannequins are used to simulate crime scenes.

The spectral camera helps to detect biological traces invisible to the eye — drops of blood, semen and others.

Criminology students investigate the crime scene: according to the scenario, an unknown person was killed with a firearm at a city intersection.

In this task, the conditions are different: a bomb was planted in a car parked outside the building.

Another scenario of the incident: academy students extract victims of a natural disaster for identification.