We all possess a degree of morbid fascination. Rubber-neckers clog up roads, scary movies pack cinemas and books about serial killers fly off the shelves. But more and more people are turning this often scorned at intrigue into serious career strides and, as a result, are on a path to solving some of the world’s most perplexing crimes.
Once seen as a vocation reserved only for the ‘geeky’ or the outright weird, many now see forensic scientists as modern-day, high-tech heroes able to find answers to extremely complex — and often extremely gory — mysteries in a flash.
This shift in perception is attributed largely to “the CSI effect”, a well-documented phenomenon that has been coined to describe how popular TV shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, encourage their fans to create a glamorous and inflated perception of the life of a criminal investigator.
The aspirational image these programs create of their fictional stars means more and more school-leavers in the US are pursuing further education and training in forensic science.
There are now at least 90 forensic science programs at universities across the US and, to put the subject’s popularity, almost 200 people apply for approximately 20 course places at Michigan State University each year.
Capt. Chris Beattie, who heads the L.A. County’s Scientific Services Bureau, believes the popularity of television shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has ‘turned millions of viewers into real-life super sleuths’. The Middle East is currently experiencing an explosion of the new-wave crime shows on its airways and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, along with its spin-off show CSI: NY, is topping the billboards.
So, is ‘the CSI effect’ felt here? Well, the region is producing its own growing crop of forensic experts and, as a result, is expanding and developing its criminal investigation departments.
It’s also clear that heightened interest in forensic medicine is not limited to the UAE, with Egypt and Lebanon in particular now known as rising stars in the region’s criminal investigation field.
The Anglia Ruskin University based in Cambridge and Chelmsford in England supports many long distance learners from all over the Middle East and it has recently added several high quality B Sc courses in forensic science due to a significant rise in demand.
In Kuwait, it’s still the case that most students travel abroad to specialize in subjects that can lead to a career specifically in crime scene investigation, however Professor Jaafar Behbehani, who teaches within the Faculty of Medicine at Kuwait University, believes a change in trend may well be on the horizon.
Of course, it’s unclear whether the buzz around these TV shows is directly related to an expansion of the region’s expertise and facilities. In addition, professionals admit the agonizing reality of autopsies and painstaking analysis does not quite live up to the satisfyingly slick operations we see on TV.
Take CSI — set against the flashy backdrop of Las Vegas, the show follows a smart, good-looking crime lab crew as they use science and technology to solve the city’s most gruesome crimes — all within their allotted 60 minutes per week. If only real life crime solving could be this simple!
The false hopes of some fans therefore mean many who are initially attracted to a career in medical science quickly drop out when they realize it involves lots of arduous tasks and grubby fingernails!
But if US findings are anything to go by, it won’t be long before the more committed members of the new generation of CSI-addicts begin to filter into our local crime squads.
As Robert Thompson, teacher of history of programming at Syracuse University, USA, puts it: “It’s ‘geek chic,’ the idea that kids can excel in science and math and grow up to be cool.”
And, even if TV is not responsible for turning fans into scientific boffins who can save the world, viewers can still enjoy some fantastic television that has really captured the world’s imagination.
