Chapter 1351: Chapter 167: Learning and Applying on the Spot

At two o’clock in the afternoon, Han Yu arrived at the Criminal Police Team on time.

Captain Wei had been waiting in the office since lunch. As soon as he saw him, he apologetically said, "Salted Fish, have some water first. The team’s police are all attending a lecture in the Technical Brigade. Once it’s finished, and they take a ten-minute break, I’ll take you over to give your talk."

"What lecture is there today?"

"’Han Daji’ has returned, and Director Chen wants him to give a good talk to the team’s police about criminal technology, which involves crime scene investigation, forensic autopsy, and the extraction of fingerprints and footprints."

Han Yu asked curiously, "Han Daji is back... Captain Wei, is he truly an instructor at Public University or a graduate student there?"

Captain Wei brewed some tea, sat down, and smiled as he explained, "He’s an instructor part-time, mainly teaching economic investigation. I heard the economic investigation textbooks of the police colleges were compiled by him. His real identity is as a police officer in our City Bureau. Even though he’s a graduate student at Public University, our City Bureau pays him a salary every month."

"Will he return to work at Binjiang after graduating?"

"This is equivalent to targeted training, so he’ll definitely come back after graduating. Director Chen not only hopes he will return but also wishes he could help recruit a few graduates from Public University and the Criminal College to work at our City Bureau."

"Do they want to work in Binjiang?"

"If the City Bureau tries to recruit, probably no one would want to. But if Han Daji helps, it’s different. He’s half a teacher at Public University, and with him doing the students’ thought work, mobilizing them to come to Binjiang, the effect is completely different from the Bureau recruiting."

One year, while returning to hometown Si Gang with a senior, Han Yu happened to meet Old Lu, who invited him to tour the Liangzhuang Police Station.

At that time, "Han Daji" had led a team out of the province to arrest someone. Han Yu only saw his photo on the wall but didn’t see him in person.

Curious about the "Han Daji" often mentioned by Old Lu and now even valued by Director Chen, Han Yu smiled and asked, "Captain Wei, can I go listen for a while?"

"Why not? I’ll accompany you there."

"Thank you, Captain Wei."

...

The Technical Brigade does not work within the City Bureau’s main office but is located in a courtyard behind the bureau, separated by a street.

Han Yu followed Captain Wei out of the bureau’s rear door, crossed the street, and arrived at the Technical Brigade, which also had a sign for the Binjiang Police Bureau’s Criminal Technology Research Institute.

The lecture on criminal technology was held in the Technical Brigade’s cafeteria.

A young yet mature-looking police officer, handsome with an academic air, was speaking eloquently on stage, while the audience was full.

It was clear that the lecture attendees weren’t only the technical police and investigators from the Criminal Police Team but also police from the Chonggang Branch, Port District Branch, and Development Zone Branch’s Criminal Police Teams.

Not wanting to disrupt the lecture, Han Yu entered the cafeteria from the back and sat in the last row.

"Could the colleague who just came in please close the door?"

"Oh, sorry."

Han Yu hadn’t expected to be named right after sitting down and quickly got up to close the door.

The top student on stage smiled and continued, "To help everyone understand what DNA is more intuitively, I have prepared a set of slides. Can the colleague near the window please pull down the curtains?"

...

What Han Yu saw and heard next was eye-opening.

It turned out DNA testing technology isn’t just in TV shows; it has been widely used in police institutions in Western developed countries.

The Ministry of Police’s Forensic Examination Center, East Sea Police Bureau Criminal Investigation Team, Shenzhen Police Bureau Criminal Investigation Team, and other units all have DNA testing equipment and technicians, and they began using the technology for criminal technical identification about four or five years ago.

The refined "Han Daji" not only understands but also can conduct tests.

"In a crime scene, the evidence that’s the least likely to be destroyed or eliminated should be biological evidence. A small piece of the perpetrator’s skin tissue under the victim’s fingernail might not even be visible to the naked eye, but as long as it’s extracted according to protocol, properly preserved, and sent timely to capable testing facilities, it’s possible to identify the most direct and powerful evidence of the perpetrator’s crime!"

Han Daji paused and then continued, "This is why I repeatedly emphasized just now even if we don’t have the technology, we must carefully and thoroughly investigate every crime scene. From large bloodstains to a single hair, or a small piece of dandruff, anything that can be extracted must be extracted.

Although we don’t currently have a database for fingerprints of prior offenders, I believe one day it will be established. Some cases we encounter seem unsolvable with our current technology but won’t necessarily remain unsolvable in the future.

Everyone might feel deeply that our police agencies are undergoing regularization, with increasing requirements for case procedures and evidence. Where does evidence come from? We collect evidence routinely! Therefore, I must emphasize again, if there’s a condition for scene investigation, regardless of whether it’s a major or minor case, our criminal technology police must investigate..."

Undeniably, "Han Daji" has a high level of expertise.

From criminal technology to laws and regulations and case procedures, back to criminal technology again, he combines theory with practice in an accessible manner. Han Yu felt confident he could be a detective after listening for less than half an hour.

While he was focused, a police officer on duty shouted from the doorway to report.

"Please come in."

"Report to Master Han, the 110 Command Center says a person has died in a residential house in Chonggang District. We should leave for the scene immediately."

"Captain Wei, no matter how long I talk, it won’t beat bringing the comrades to a crime scene. Could we have a field investigation meeting?"

Everyone has left, who would Salted Fish lecture to later?

But urgency commands action, Captain Wei hesitated momentarily and agreed: "Sure, let’s all go. Comrade Han Bo, once we’re at the scene, please guide the Technical Brigade’s investigation."

"Yes!"

...

Plans are always overtaken by changes.

I wanted to listen a bit longer, but the police officers from the Technical Squad had to go investigate the crime scene.

I was supposed to give a talk about the development of Binjiang Water Police and the ’98 flood fighting, but the audience all wanted to join the criminal field investigation observation.

Han Yu didn’t want to create chaos, so before Captain Wei could explain, he smiled and said, "Captain Wei, I happen to have some matter to attend to, I’ll head over to the Water Police Station first."

"How about we postpone the achievement report to next Friday?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"No problem, as long as I’m in Binjiang, I’ll be at your service whenever you call."

"Alright, let’s set it like that."

A dead body, and right at the cusp of the New Year.

Captain Wei couldn’t treat it lightly, as soon as the team’s police cars entered the courtyard, he took the walkie-talkie from a detective’s hand, walked up and opened the door to take the car.

Han Yu didn’t rush back, instead headed straight to the City Bureau Security Department to use Director Lv’s office phone to contact Deputy Director Zhao Hongxing of the Water Police Station.

"Director Zhao, it’s Han Yu here, where are you, have you figured out Liu Jie’s whereabouts?"

"I’m in Wujiang, keeping an eye on Liu Jie."

"Found him!"

"Found him the afternoon of the day before yesterday. Turns out he’s cohabiting with Wang Xiaoyan here, we’ve been monitoring them for two days, but haven’t found much, currently debating whether to arrest or not."

Han Yu glanced at Director Lv and smiled, "You can arrest, no need to monitor further."

"What if he refuses to admit after being brought back?" Zhao Hongxing, sitting in a local licensed van, asked while staring at the row of civilian houses diagonally opposite.

"I just attended half a lecture, learned a lot."

"What does whether to arrest have to do with attending lectures?"

"Of course, it has something to do with it. I attended a criminal techniques lecture, very professional, something police school teachers don’t easily share with trainees, only heard during in-service detective training."

Zhao Hongxing was both amused and annoyed, gripping his phone tightly: "No more teasing, do you have a way to make Liu confess?"

That half lecture was indeed worth attending.

Han Yu, eager to show off, asked: "Director Zhao, do you know about DNA?"

"Heard about it, seen it in Hong Kong and Taiwan police crime dramas."

"Hong Kong has this technology, and our domestic police agencies do too. As long as the suspect leaves biological evidence at the crime scene, if extracted, examined, and matches the suspect’s DNA, it can be used as evidence to bring the suspect to justice!"

"But we don’t have that biological evidence you’re talking about!"

"Biological evidence isn’t just bloodstains, skin tissue, and hair left by the suspect, it also includes sweat left during the crime, and even the oils left by touching items during the crime."

"Oils?"

"As long as human hands sweat, there are suspect’s oils in the sweat, and with careful investigations, these can be extracted!"

"And then?"

"Then do a DNA test." Han Yu chuckled, confidently said, "Those vessels that have been burglarized might be scattered far and wide. Even if we find them, it’s hard to extract suspect’s biological evidence after so long. But we know this, the suspect doesn’t!"

Zhao Hongxing suddenly understood as if enlightened: "Salted Fish, you’re saying arrest that Liu bastard first, then scare him, let him know we have his biological evidence, gonna send him for DNA testing, if it matches, we can send him to court?"

"More or less, but the act must be performed in full, performed well, to make Liu believe we have this technology."

"Got it, I’ll call Director Wang to report now."

"It’s almost the New Year, act quickly."

"I understand."

"Also, you can request Criminal Police Team to send two technical officers for assistance."

"Don’t worry, I know how to act this scene!"

...

Liu climbs onto ships via anchor chains every time he commits a crime.

Committing a crime on water is different from doing so on land, wearing diving-like "water clothes" or gloves isn’t convenient, meaning Liu has to grip the anchor chains tightly to climb up, the tighter he grips, the easier it is to leave biological evidence.

According to "Han Daji’s" theory, as long as biological evidence can be extracted and matches the suspect’s, it can be used as evidence to confirm those ship burglaries were all his doing!

As for whether the evidence can be extracted or matched, it doesn’t matter.

After all, information asymmetry exists, how would he know Binjiang Water Police or Binjiang Police currently lack the technical capabilities, and even with them, it’s hard to find many of the burglarized vessels for investigation.

Overall, it’s about bluffing next.

If Liu can be bluffed into speaking up, we can use the old method of "evoking testimony", without resorting to simple, crude, even illegal coercion.

Han Yu grew more excited thinking about it, on the way to the Water Police Station, secretly deciding to ask Captain Wei later, if "Han Daji" gives another lecture, he must attend, and organize the Water Anti-Smuggling Department officers to attend as well.

As long as it benefits work, it’s not shameful to learn through stealth!