In the airport scenario, the preservation of the scene becomes difficult and is magnified by the size of the scene and the number of people present. The first responding officer must access the scene very quickly, gather information and complete several tasks upon arriving at the scene of a crime. While doing all this they must also preserve the scene from further contamination and potential evidential losses. Dimensions of the crime scene As additional assistance arrives, the security of the scene becomes even more critical. Identifying the dimensions of the scene is now essential.
All crime scenes have two areas, the primary area and secondary area of the scene.
The primary area is the immediate area of the crime and the secondary area includes all avenues leading to and away from the scene. Once this area is defined, barrier tape can then be placed to identify the physical boundaries of the crime scene. Whether barrier tape, wooden barricades or any other form of barrier is used, the physical barriers identifies the limits of the scene and determines how closely individuals can actually be to the scene. Unfortunately, crowds may appear before the limits of the scene are determined. Consequently, the limits of the scene must be addressed immediately, especially at a major crime scene.