Evidence storage and control in the maritime accident survey

The storage and control of evidence is essential for the integrity and credibility of the investigation. The security and supervision of evidence is necessary to prevent it tampering or lost, and at the same time, it can ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the collected evidence.

If judicial surveys and security investigations are carried out at the same time, the relevant judicial authorities will request preservation evidence in accordance with their standards to ensure the use of evidence in court in the future. If the accident investigation authorities cannot abide by or meet this standard, it is likely that the judicial authorities must be possessed in accordance with the law, and they must obtain evidence through negotiations. This may cause major obstacles to the investigation of the investigation agency. In the worst case, the judicial authorities may not even allow evidence to obtain evidence.

Before investigators arrive at the scene, if necessary, a contact point should be established to ensure that a storage chain is established for all evidence removed from the accident. Ideally, the key evidence should be stayed in the same place until the investigator arrived. Similar evidence control procedures similar to the following guidelines help ensure that the evidence has no adulteration, damage or loss, and subsequent management and other related tests are effective.

● Immediately after the accident, the evidence should be taken to take pictures and camera at its original location to prove that it has not been rescued or disturbed by assistance. A log should be maintained to explain the location, date and time of shooting photos and videos.

● Establish evidence records, including:

◎ Details removed on -site

◎ The date and time of the removal of the item

◎ Personnel who removed the items on the scene

◎ The planned storage location of these items

The evidence shall be controlled by the signature transfer (signing of the receiver and the transferor), and it shall be used only for those who need to check and use the evidence during the accident investigation. The evidence should be kept properly and the use of evidence during the entire investigation. The room or office suite as the evidence room should be restricted.

Written evidence is easy to be ignored, dislocated or taken away. Documents may be modified, destroyed, misunderstood or electron damage. Computer software and disks are exposed to the magnetic field. Like other evidence collected during the investigation, written evidence should be collected, inventory (record), control and properly custody (if necessary, it should be locked in the stored box).

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