IX Congress of Departments of Criminalistics

  • 12.
  • 10.
  • 2016

On 28-29 September 2016 in Warsaw University (Warsaw, Poland) was held IX Congress of Departments of Criminalistics. The congress was organized by Criminalistics Department of the Faculty of Law and Administration at Warsaw University.

This event was the first part of International Festival of Criminalistics in Warsaw University. International Festival of Criminalistic was devoted to celebration of 60th anniversary of Criminalistics Department of the Faculty of Law and Administration at Warsaw University and 200 Years of the University itself. Festival of Criminalistics also included 12th International Scientific Conference “Criminalistics and Forensic Expertology: Science, Studies, Practice” (29-30 September 2016) and organized by Polish Forensic Association, Criminalists Association of Lithuania, Warsaw University, and Forensic Science Centre of the Ministry of Justice of Lithuania. It was the first Congress, where criminalists from other countries (not only from Polish Universities and law enforcement bodies) took part. About 80 participants from Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine attended the congress. The congress worked in two languages: English and Polish. Only 25 scientific reports have been published in the Journal “Problemy Współczesnej Kryminalistyki” (XX vol.).

Next theme sessions were planned for these topics: 1) forensic didactics; 2) scientific research, related to criminalistics, carried out in criminalistics departments and other scientific institutions; 3) student scientific research of forensic science.

Prof. Dr. Habil. Ewa Gruza had speech about history of Criminalistics Department of Warsaw University

Prof. Dr. Habil. Ewa Gruza had speech about history of Criminalistics Department of Warsaw University

The congress was opened by Prof. Dr. Habil. Tadeusz Tomaszewski (Dean of the Faculty of Law and Administration and Head of Criminalistics Department of Warsaw University, Poland). At the beginning of the congress Prof. Dr. Habil. Tadeusz Tomaszewski and Prof. Dr. Habil. Ewa Gruza awarded Dr. Józef Gurgul (Poland) and Prof. Dr. Habil. Zdzisław Kegel (Poland) by special prizes.

On 28th of September first plenary session of the congress was chaired by Prof. Dr. Habil. Tadeusz Tomaszewski (Poland) and Prof. Dr. Habil. Zdzisław Kegel (Poland). Before traditional presentations Prof. Dr. Habil. Ewa Gruza had special scientific speech about history of Criminalistics Department of Warsaw University. The following presentations were made during this session: “Reflections on the Process of Becoming and Being Prosecutor” by Dr. Józef Gurgul (Poland); “Modern Professional Methods in Law and Criminalistics” by Prof. Dr. Habil. Monika Całkiewicz (Poland); “The Use of Active Teaching Methods in Conducting Classes in Forensic Science and Law” by Prof. Dr. Habil. Jarosław Moszczyński and Dr. Katarzyna Julia Furman (Poland); “Connections among Criminalistics and Evidential Law and Police Law. Didactic Practice of the Department of Criminalistics and Evidential Law WPiA UMCS in Lublin” by Prof. Dr. Habil. Adam Taracha (Poland); “Practical Science of Criminalistics and Criminal Procedure on the examples from Criminalistics Department of WPiA UW” by Dr. Habil. Paweł Waszkiewicz (Poland); “Alternative Forms of Criminalistic Didactics” by Prof. Dr. Habil. Piotr Girdwoyń and Dr. Kacper Gradoń (Poland); “Interdisciplinary Teaching of Criminalistics in Example: Catch Me if You Can – Practical Method of Lie Detection” by Dr. Magdalena Tomaszewska-Michalak (Poland); “The Education of Experts in the Russian Federation” by Doc. Dr. Elena Iwanova and Doc. Dr. Elena Logvinets (Russia); “Problems of Teaching Criminalistics in Ukraine” by Prof. Dr. Habil. Valery Shepitko and Dr. Michael Shepitko (Ukraine). After this intensive work it was coffee break, where participants had time for discussions.

Participants of the IX Congress

Participants of the IX Congress

Second plenary session of the congress was chaired by Prof. Dr. Habil. Józef Wójcikiewicz (Poland) and Prof. Dr. Habil. Ewa Gruza (Poland). The following presentations were made during this session: “About necessity of Criminalistics Teaching” by Prof. Dr. Habil. Tadeusz Tomaszewski (Poland); “Methodological Problems in the Criminalistics Teaching in the Legal Education” by Doc. Dr. Olesya Vashchuk (Ukraine); “Criminalistics and Criminology: Similarities, Differences, Functions, Methodology” by Prof. Dr. Josef Metenko (Slovakia); “Law and Practice of Preservation ans Storage of So-called “Difficult” Evidences” by Dr. Janusz Bryk and Dr. Anna Świerczewska-Gąsiorowska (Poland); “Dealing with “Difficult” Material Evidence – the Recognition of the Legal” by Dr. Aneta Łyżwa (Poland); “Dangerous and Hazmat Evidence and Mobile Robotic System – Modern Technologies at the Crime Scene” by Dr. Magdalena Zubańska (Poland). After this session moderators announced lunch and time for break and studying of criminalistics exhibition that was prepared for congress participants. This day it was also third session and after it – gala dinner in The Kazimierz Palace. This part of the congress also attended by Rector of Warsaw University Prof. Dr. Habil. Marcin Pałys.

Second day of the congress (29th September) included two plenary sessions with coffee-break. After sessions it was final discussions and procedure of closing congress. Organizers of the Congress invited all who wants to tour “Criminal Warsaw”.

The congress brief
was prepared
by Dr. M. Shepitko