I cannot believe how quickly the crime show detectives come up with DNA, fingerprints, shoe impressions, dental records, CCTV images, witnesses, fibres, hair strands, clothing and other evidence all within an hour of the show starting.

It may come as a shock to you, however it must be said, "The TV crime shows are not real".

But what is a crime scene?

A crime scene can be anything - a house, a car, a room, a person just to name a few things.

It is basically anything that has been entered, touched, used, worn by, moved, written or had anything to do with an offender.

A door knob can have the crook's DNA and/or fingerprints on it if it was touched or the door was opened.

Locations of entry and exit, vehicles used by or entered by the offender, the backyard, the front yard are all areas that may have come into contact with the offender and may require crime scene preservation.

Why preserve a crime scene?

In the real world we need to preserve a crime scene so we can glean every piece of evidence that we can in an effort to identify the offender/s that committed the crime.

Police are trained to search for and collect evidence, however most citizens are not.

You may have gone out for a meal - while enjoying a succulent steak, someone breaks into your house while you are gone.

When you return, guess what, you are the first person at the crime scene.

What do you do?

All you need to do at this point is to call the police and preserve the crime scene as best you can.

Try not to touch anything.

If you don't have to enter a room, don't.

If anything has been moved, advise the police when they arrive.

If you have to move something use gloves.

Try and remember that a transfer occurs between you and anything you touch.

If the crime scene is preserved then police have the best chance of being able to locate trace evidence which could ultimately lead to the identification of an offender.

Remember you can Dob in a Druggie any time you like by contacting Nowra Police or ringing Crime Stoppers. Do not drink and drive. As always, in case of an emergency call 000. In non-emergencies call the Policelink on 131 444 or your local police station. To provide anonymous information call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. For domestic and family violence information, visit www.police.nsw.gov.au. For Shoalhaven Domestic Violence officers call 4421 9666 or 4421 9665 or email shoaldvlo@police.nsw.gov.au.

Don't forget, cops are tops.

Read more: Crime/Court