Through training and ongoing support, we’ve built a robust and professional team of forensic decontamination and crime scene cleaning experts.
Sometimes television can dramatise everyday events to great effect. Take forensics. Hit TV dramas such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and NCIS in the early 2000s certainly glamourised the field. Picking up on the tiny traces which criminals had left behind was the stuff of fiction. Meanwhile, documentaries such as the BBC’s Forensics: The Real CSI also followed real-life forensics experts. But what is rarely depicted on screen is what happens after the forensics experts have left the scene, when things need to return to normal. Forensic cleaning and crime scene clean-up represent a vital service – and one that REACT can provide. One of our specialist forensic and trauma cleaners, Nick Stirrup, was interviewed in The Sun last week, talking about his work. So we thought we’d take the opportunity to focus on our forensic decontamination and crime scene cleaning services.
Forensic and crime scene clean-ups happen every day
When might you require a crime scene clean-up? After a crime in a home or workplace, the resulting environment can present a wide range of risks. In some cases, this will involve bodily fluids and drug materials. Often, crime scenes are littered with broken glass and contaminated surfaces. And in every case, there will be some reminders of the fact that a crime has taken place.
One of the most frequent crime scenes in the UK are burglaries. Each year, there are over one million burglaries and attempted burglaries. In other words, a burglary happens every 40 seconds in the UK. Most burglaries are not pre-planned but are committed by opportunistic criminals. Many burglaries occur because doors are left unlocked, so there may be minimal mess to clean up. But for a large number of victims, there will be broken glass left behind after door or window was forced open.
Other events are of course also treated as forensic or crime scenes. But they may need more careful consideration and sensitive handling, if there was violence involved, let alone if there was a fatality. In such cases, there may be body fluids or other hazardous waste left behind at the scene. Cleaning up after such an event is covered by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations, to protect against the spread of pathogens. So it can only be undertaken by the most specialist of cleaners.
Forensic decontamination and crime scene cleaning services delivered by experts
Our forensic decontamination and crime scene cleaning service offers peace of mind and a fast response. Our expert team will attend the scene promptly and return it to a safe and usable condition using industry-leading materials. Where there has been a fatality, we work with the utmost sensitivity to ensure the minimum of trauma to survivors, whatever the circumstances. Our team always works to ensure the health and safety of residents and workers to ensure that things return to normal as soon as possible. And we recognise that the work itself can be traumatic for our cleaning operatives. That’s why we provide full training, buddy-working sessions for new colleagues, and ongoing peer and psychological support for the team.
Real-life situations rarely play out like TV shows. But for the people affected by crime and its aftermath, every event is an emergency. We’re here to work to put things back together after a crime scene has revealed its secrets. And with Nick and our other dedicated and professional forensic cleaning colleagues doing such great work, we can make sure that nobody turns a crisis into a drama.
WARNING: This article contains graphic detail relating to crime scene, forensic, and trauma cleaning that some readers may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.
To find out more about REACT Specialist Cleaning and our forensic decontamination and crime scene cleaning services, contact one of the team today.
Telephone: 01283 550 503
Email: info@reactplc.co.uk
Website: www.reactsc.co.uk
Post by Shaun D. Doak
Shaun is the CEO of REACT Group plc., a business dedicated to specialist cleaning, hygiene and decontamination. He is deeply committed to making sure that every one of our company’s clients receives the highest possible level of service. An expert in HVAC and commercial and industrial cleaning methodologies, Shaun has extensive experience in the facilities management and renewable services sector.