There aren’t many experiences where you can pull on a forensic suit, process a crime scene and learn from people who’ve done it for real.
Think Forensic began after local schools asked the team to help bring forensic science to life in the classroom. What started with teaching resources, specialist kits and school workshops soon grew into something much bigger when one thing became very clear: the adults wanted a go too.
Today, visitors come from across the UK, and sometimes considerably further afield, to learn genuine forensic techniques, process evidence and investigate realistic crime scenes alongside experts with backgrounds in CSI, serious crime investigation, DNA, pathology, ballistics and more.
It’s fascinating, hands-on and very unique.
We caught up with the founder of Think Forensic to discover how the idea grew from a school resource into such an unusual experience, what TV crime shows get wildly wrong and what really happens once you step inside a crime scene.
The story behind Think Forensic
Where did the original idea for Think Forensic come from?
Think Forensic began as a result of requests made by local schools when Forensic Science was introduced as part of the national curriculum. Teachers, who were wanting to give authenticity to the subject, asked if, due to our experiences in the field of CSI and Forensics, we could help. We realised very early on different schools have different budgets so we developed a three-tier service. For those with lower budgets we uploaded worksheets on our Think Forensic website which teachers could use as and when they needed them. For those with a bit larger budget, our middle tier, we developed realistically priced kits with real equipment used by professionals which they could use to run their own sessions while for those with larger budgets we offered workshops led by ourselves. From there everything else was born.
Was there a particular moment when the team realised forensic science could become an experience?
The parents of the students in the schools where we ran the workshops often said they wished the workshops had been available to them at school. We thought – well its never too late……we also needed more storage space for the kits we were developing so we decided to find premises where we could set up crime scenes. There is such much interest in true crime and our CSI Experience gives people the chance to experience an investigation for themselves. They have so much fun -but secretly so do we!
What has been the team’s proudest moment so far?
As the founder of the company I am sorry but I can’t pick there are so many. I am so proud of our specialist staff, our facilities and everything we’ve built. Think Forensic is unique, our crime centre is the only place where you can take part in such an experience and meet experts who have worked in the field. We have visitors who come from far afield just to be with us they regularly come from Scotland, Ireland, the south coast etc the furthest we have had is Hong Kong! We then have the high profile events we’ve been involved in such as “Murder Mile” in Dublin promoting and working with Lynda La Plante to help promote one of her books. Harrogate Crime Writing Festival where we worked with Pan McMillan publishers running workshops for the public but also the cast of Vera including Brenda Blethyn and Ann Cleaeves. We have also worked in Austria running workshops and helping a children’s museum develop a full year exhibit.
A career in CSI
What careers did the team have before joining Think Forensic?
That’s a great question. Our staff have a variety of background backgrounds which make our experiences so special and unique. On the investigation side we have CSI’s, Crime scene managers, crash investigators, interview specialists, serious crime investigators, senior investigating officers, geographic profilers. On the analysis side we have specialists in Pathology, DNA and biological analysis, anthropology, archaeology, forensic linguistics, fire, bomb, ballistics and explosives. We also have our dedicated support staff who help people with bookings and make sure everything is safe and ready for visitors,
What do television crime dramas get right and sometimes spectacularly wrong?
I just had to have a little laugh at this question. They get a lot right but so much wrong too. We do work with authors and TV companies and we advise on the facts and realities. They then go away, turn it into entertainment and very often it resembles nothing we’ve discussed but we realise TV dramas have only 30 minutes to entertain the viewers. Our visitors are always amazed at how different the real world is to TV life.
Which forensic technique still fascinates the team, even after years in the profession?
We are always amazed. Fingerprints have been around for many years and people think techniques involve spreading a bit of powder around but in reality there are over 500 ways of developing latent (hidden) prints, one of our staff members has been involved in recent research to enhance print marks on items which have been submerged in water. DNA has progressed so fast we are now dealing with very minute amounts. Forensic techniques are progressing at such a fast rate its not easy to keep pace with them.
How does the team share genuine professional experiences without losing sight of the sensitive human stories behind them?
Because our staff have worked in the field we are very mindful we don’t know what people have experienced in their own lives. We are only too aware of the effects of crime and other incidents on people. We do discuss real crimes and situations we have encountered in our roles but we make sure it is age and content appropriate. We pride ourselves on being 100 per cent honest and authentic to the subject but on some occasions answer some questions privately. We also ask people if they are comfortable with hearing some of the details.
Creating the CSI experiences
How does the team devise a new crime scene or investigation?
We are used to developing bespoke programmes, many of our experience events are based on real crimes, looking at some of the evidence around them. Our corporate events however may be based around the company staff members while primary school might just be the class mascot going missing. We usually have a bit of a brainstorm session but whatever the scenario its still loyal to the real world of forensics.
What guests experience
Without revealing the solution, what happens from the moment a guest steps behind the crime scene tape?
When visitors first arrive we teach them how to use equipment just like in real investigations. They learn techniques such as fingerprinting, casting and lifting footwear marks, processing evidence etc. We then kit them out in crime scene suits and dispatch them to the scenes where they process their own evidence, it’s not easy to decide what is and what isn’t relevant but our experts are on hand to guide and help everyone along. We then hold a debrief where we piece together what has happened. We have 9 scenes which are all different but I can reveal they may be interlinked.
What do guests talk about most when the experience is over?
We have excellent feedback. Most visitors find it fascinating how a case develops and how it differs to TV. We have 4 experiences available to members of the public and many return a second, third or even a fourth time.
The experience as a gift
Who is the experience perfect for besides dedicated true-crime fans?
We obviously have true crime fans who come along, but we also have, parents with children who are interested in careers (we take people over 16 years or over 14 years if accompanied by a paying adult), we have couples on date days and friends just wanting fun. It’s a real mixed demographic we even get partners who have been dragged along by their other halves, by the end of the session they have thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
If the team could describe the experience in three words, what would they be?
We love it!! Am I allowed exclamation marks?
If you love the sound of Think Forensic’s CSI experiences find out more and buy a gift voucher.