Natural Collections: Stages of Creation, Classification, and Systematisation

Abstract

The article is devoted to highlighting a current issue in forensic science regarding the stages of creation, classification, and systematization of natural collections.
The correct formation and effective use of various types of natural collections is one of he forms of maintaining reference and auxiliary records. The collections of these objects do not contain a causal link to the crime event, and the registration features are identified externally or through specialized examinations.
A natural collection is a systematic collection of homogeneous or related objects (objects, substances, materials) connected by common investigative or expert tasks, the formation of which is carried out in law enforcement agencies as reference and auxiliary material for solving crime investigation tasks, and also in scientific research, educational and methodological work.
These objects include, for example: firearms, ammunition, edged weapons; narcotic substances and potent pharmaceutical drugs; paints and varnishes; typical instruments of crime and traces of their use.
The set of common features inherent in the objects listed above may eventually be necessary during the investigation of certain crimes, as they make it possible to establish the group affiliation of certain traces, tools, objects, etc., to determine diagnostic tasks for them and to establish important circumstances of their commission, etc.
The use of natural collections in criminal investigations is still quite low. The insufficient organization and systematization of forensic reference collections complicates their effective application. This is largely due to the lack of a unified, scientifically grounded, and organizationally supported system for the use and acquisition of natural collections.