Scenes of Crime Officer: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

A Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) (pronounced SOCC-oh) is an officer who gathers forensic evidence for the British police. SOCOs are usually civilians, not police officers, but are employed by the police forces. Evidence collected is passed to the detectives of the Criminal Investigation Department and to the forensic laboratories. The SOCOs do not investigate crimes or analyse evidence themselves.