Sue Mazzoni is the Barking and Dagenham forensic manager

Sue Mazzoni, 56, has been the borough forensic manager for Barking and Dagenham police for 18 months. Her career began in 1971 when she joined the Metropolitan Police as a clerical officer, progressing to a fingerprint officer and in 1984 she became a scene of crime officer.

“My job involves the collection of evidence from crime scenes that may identify the person responsible for the crime and be instrumental in removing them from the streets.

“What is found at a scene can prove beyond doubt that a suspect was there.

“Ultimately, my team’s contribution to an investigation can prevent more members of the community from becoming victims of crime. It is massively rewarding.

“Most of the people that I come into contact with are victims of crime. Many need reassurance and can be in a state of shock, so a professional, but compassionate nature is an absolute essential.

“Occasionally I and my team may encounter a difficult customer, but generally, the local residents in Barking and Dagenham are regular, good people who have simply had the misfortune to be touched by crime.

“It is my aim to maximise the presence of scene examiners in the borough and to ensure that we collect a high standard of evidence at every crime scene we visit.

“I was lucky enough to be involved in the roll-out of the Met Police’s Livescan system. This is an electronic finger print scanner linked to the fingerprint database.

“These machines are now available to check finger prints in police vehicles on the street and have massively improved the identification of suspects who may not be telling the truth about their identity.

“During the course of my career I have examined crime scenes that include robberies, burglaries, murders, rapes, drug factories, kidnappings and vehicle crime.

“I have given evidence in Northern Cyprus in a murder trial where the defendant received a 14-year prison sentence.

“No two days are the same and when you start your day you can never imagine how you will finish it or even when you will finish it.

“To say that it can be exhausting would be an understatement, but if I said it was worth every minute I would be spot on.”