Attention To Detail explores the marrying of two separate but critical components in the detectives tool box. The attribute known collectively by detectives throughout the years as Attention To Detail (ATD) and the scientific advances that became known as DNA. With the advancements in DNA analysis, science could and would play an invaluable role in investigating serious crime. ATD is about practical precision in the investigative process. ‘I think that attention to every detail is probably one of the most critical attributes that you can have in a detective.’ Former Detective Superintendent Neville Stokes A case that brilliantly highlights the absolute burning need for attention to detail is brought to life by Former Detective Sergeant Colin Matthews who, with his team, were faced with one of the most horrific crime scenes in which a bomb delivered in a parcel killed a young mother and very nearly killed her friend. The severity of the blast saw the detectives combing through rubble for clues. ‘People don’t get blown up for nothing’ Former Detective Sergeant Colin Matthews Searching the bomb site, the detectives literally sieved all the debris for clues. Bringing in explosive experts and scientists they trawled through the scene. Working against time as body matter decomposed, the investigators began to unravel the mystery. Fingerprints – the original ‘invisible signature’ – were miraculously gleaned from the chaos and the links began to stitch together. So strong was the case that the killer changed his plea to guilty before the trial started– there was no way his lawyers could find a hole in the detectives’ work. Their attention to detail and their dogged determination to find the truth was too thorough for debate. Recognising the tiniest details can be critical to investigations, as illustrated in the case of Alf Benning. He may have considered he’d committed the perfect crime when he carefully cleaned the blood out o