Clothing Comparisons

FVS can compare recovered clothing with that worn by offenders.

Offenders often conceal their faces to the point where facial mapping is not possible, but there are other ways that imagery analysis can be used in the investigation to ensure an impartial, fair and scientific comparison.

FVS can compare clothing used in a crime, and recovered by police, with that worn by offenders. The best way to achieve this is to perform a reconstruction. Recovered items are recorded using the same camera as the one used during the original offence, and features of similarity and difference are measured and described.

This is vitally important in night-time footage, because clothing under infrared (IR) light can look completely different to light of the visible spectrum.

The images below show the same jacket, recorded and compared under IR and normal lighting:

FVS will undertake these exercises to ensure an impartial, fair and scientific comparison.

Footwear Comparisons - FVS are often asked to examine footwear to determine whether the recovered items have been worn by the offenders. Photogrammetry and measurements can also be used to calculated shoe size.