A worrying trend in recent high-profile murder investigations has been the growing influence of so-called criminal psychologists, who produce a "profile" of the murderer and then send the police off to find someone who fits the pattern.
Murder investigations should be a search for evidence, not a justification of debatable opinions.
Such profiles carry the risk that investigators will look for evidence that "fits" to the exclusion of evidence that does not.
Add to this the public pressure on the police for results and miscarriages of justice are just a step away.
Getting the wrong man in a murder case leaves a killer among us.
-R F Osborne, Rushlake Close, Coldean
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article