Diary of a Criminal Investigator-Chapter 347: Setting Out, Making the Arrest

Circle culture exists in any industry.

For example, in Lu Chuan’s field of crime scene investigation as a detective, everyone operates within the same circle, with comparatively less interaction with the outside world, creating a relatively closed environment.

Throughout the province, the number of top-notch crime scene investigators is actually limited. Some excel in fingerprint identification and analysis, others in footprint analysis, and some in bloodstain pattern analysis.

Of course, there are also those like Lu Chuan, who are proficient in all these areas.

Lu Chuan has participated in the municipal bureau’s fingerprint campaigns, as well as the provincial department’s fingerprint campaigns. After these large-scale campaigns, he has become acquainted with most of the capable crime scene investigators across the province.

In a short period, changes are not significant, but this "short period" can actually be as long as 10 or even 20 years.

Theft and robbery operate similarly, each having its own circle.

In the years when theft crimes were particularly rampant, Liu Guodong told Lu Chuan that the entire criminal network even divided Haizhou City into designated areas.

Who was in charge of which urban area, who was responsible for which street, and which community belonged to whom—all was clearly delineated.

Many thieves would even scout out a location before executing a theft, marking targets on doors.

This way, people from the same organization would avoid clashing with each other.

Outsiders just passing through, looking to make a quick gain, also wouldn’t conflict with local powers.

The same goes for robbery; most robbers are local troublemakers.

The robber Lu Chuan identified already had three criminal records.

Two for theft, and one for robbery.

Once the suspect information was confirmed, Lu Chuan immediately sent it to Ren Qiang.

As part of a technical police unit, Lu Chuan worked behind the scenes, preferring not to take part in arrests.

Furthermore, cooperation and teamwork are crucial in any investigation, with different departments working together seamlessly.

When Lu Chuan discovered evidence while scanning images, it became a key lead, and identifying the suspect meant that the action group could carry out the arrest.

Everyone equally shares the credit, as being selfish in a united team environment is not favorable.

Ren Qiang was discussing a previous case with Zhang Hui when his mobile police communication device received a message from Lu Chuan.

Ren Qiang recognized the case.

"Zhang Hui, take a look at this."

Zhang Hui glanced over: "The robbery case from Qianjin Street Police Station?"

Although robbery cases are significant, this one wasn’t extraordinarily large. Initially, Qianjin Street Police Station investigated it, but after being unable to solve it, they reported it to the Criminal Investigation Team, which then passed it to the Criminal Investigation Team.

The victim wasn’t harmed, only lost some property, so the Criminal Investigation Team didn’t allocate much resources to it, resulting in an unsolved case backlog.

Of course, passing the case to the Criminal Investigation Team doesn’t mean it was insoluble, but resources invested and output weren’t proportional.

It was unrealistic to approach this robbery case with the intensity of a murder case.

Judicial resources are limited at any time; without a murder case, other cases need cost-benefit consideration regarding resources.

However, now that Lu Chuan has directly identified the suspect, the action group just needs to handle the arrest.

For arrests, the action group is exceptionally skilled, and against one robber, he wouldn’t stand a chance against a dozen officers.

"Let’s go. Gather the guys, and move out!"

Having wrapped up one unsolved case, Lu Chuan quickly moved on to the next one.

In the quiet underground laboratory free from disturbance, Lu Chuan called Forensic Doctor Shen, telling her that he had to handle old cases during the day and couldn’t chat for now.

With no distractions, Lu Chuan had a clear mind, full of vigor, in peak condition.

This reminded Lu Chuan of the feeling he had when participating in the provincial department’s fingerprint campaign, focusing solely on solving cases.

This time, Lu Chuan targeted two unsolved theft cases from last year.

Compared to the robbery case, this one was actually easier for Lu Chuan.

The suspect’s method was highly disciplined, wearing gloves during the act, leaving no fingerprint information at the scene.

However, the thief couldn’t float into the house, leaving footprints behind.

In footprint identification and analysis, Lu Chuan was exceedingly skilled, quickly completing the shoeprint data measurement.

At the time of the crime, the perpetrator should’ve been moving at an unhurried pace, leaving hundreds of footprints in the living room and bedroom of the victim’s house.

It was the first time Lu Chuan had seen such abundant footprints at a crime scene, providing more accurate data for analysis.

"Male, height 1.93 to 1.96 meters, weight 70 to 75 kilograms, slight out-toeing gait, suspected left leg fracture."

Footprint patterns are influenced by both congenital and acquired factors.

Congenital factors are mainly hereditary, while acquired factors are vast.

These include nutrition intake, physical development, bone quality, and external impact.

Even in the same individual, footprint patterns show slight variations at different ages and physical development stages.

These variations are observable and predictable over time.

However, any external impact, like a leg bone fracture, causes abrupt changes in footprint patterns.

Moreover, a height of 1.93 to 1.96 meters is notably uncommon.

Following the usual process, Lu Chuan extracted and compared data with historical theft suspect information once key suspect data was obtained.

He first compared heights.

In comparison to robbery, Haizhou City has a higher number of theft suspects with a record.

This disparity is because the likelihood of getting caught is relatively lower for theft than for robbery.

Getting away unscathed once or twice builds self-assurance and hones the criminal’s skills.

It’s like seasoned perverts in alleyways, recognizing each other without a single word.

Prices are mutually understood.

And satisfaction fulfills these interactions.

Because the chance of getting caught is lower, the base number of theft suspects is larger, and the frequency of crimes higher.

Walking by the river, they’re sure to get their feet wet. Accruing multiple offenses increases the chance of getting caught.

Over years, most skilled theft suspects in Haizhou City have been apprehended at least once.

Therefore, Lu Chuan quickly found the corresponding suspect in the previous suspects’ database this time.

After a stretch, Lu Chuan sent the data to Sun Jun.