Imagine the scene: you see a bloke sprinting down the street past you, clutching a handbag he’s just swiped from an elderly lady. You get a good look at his face, but would you be able to accurately describe it in detail to a police sketch artist?
It’d be even harder if you had merely met the man and not realised he was a crim at the time.
Photofit drawings are only about nine per cent accurate according to one study. And their digital counterparts are generally poorer quality too, with only five per cent accuracy.
Hung Phuoc Nguyen and the witness’s sketch of his likeness.
Image credit: [Washington Post(https://news.yahoo.com/cops-identify-hung-phuoc-nguyen-173918140.html|target=”_blank”|rel=”nofollow”)]
The issue isn’t the skill of the artist but our own memory.
Psychological research and neuroscience studies indicate that memory is not like a video you can play over and over again. Memory is a reconstructive process that can be easily changed.
Despite this, many forensic artists believe that although they are most likely basing their drawings on incorrect details, their role is still incredibly important to the case.
Sketching perpetrators of crimes is a great way to publicise the crime and involve the public to incite clues, leads or just keep an eye out for some shady characters.
This is why many artists will make standout features like a tattoo or a scar the focus of the drawing.
Police somehow used this image to find Joseph Weir, who was convicted of bank robbery and sentenced to 32 years inside.
Image credit: [Buzzfeed(https://www.buzzfeed.com/patricksmith/the-27-worst-police-sketches-of-all-time|target=”_blank”|rel=”nofollow”)]
We decided to see how useful the Take 5 team would be as witnesses.
We hired an actor named Nic to come into the office under the guise of giving our air conditioning system a check-up.
Holding a clip board and dressed in a hoodie and dark blue work pants, he did a few laps asking some of the staff questions about whether the office is too hot or too cold.
After 15 minutes, he left. An hour later, sketch artist Nelson Colo came in to draw Nic as per the staff’s recollection.
Our clever hired actor, Nic.
(Image exclusive to Take 5)Witness 1: Courtney, assistant features editor
When Nic was in the office, I had no interaction with him but I remember noticing him around the office.
We often have people come in to survey the building, so I didn’t think anything of it.
I was so shocked when I found out what was going on – I didn’t feel like I had any memory of his face at all.
As Nelson and I got started with the drawing, I was able to piece it together a little bit. I had no idea about his eye colour, but remembered that his hair was blond and tousled.
He was a tall, tanned guy of average weight with facial hair wearing a hoodie. When I saw what he actually looked like, I couldn’t help but laugh. I was way off, but I was the only one to get his hoodie right!
Courtney’s memory of what Nic looked like.
(Image exclusive to Take 5)Witness 2: Mary, Picture editor
Despite chatting to Nic for around five minutes, I couldn’t remember what he looked like.
It’s hard to remember someone without having a reason to. It wasn’t like he committed a crime – he was a lovely guy who we thought was fixing the air con!
All I could remember was how I thought he was skinny with boyish features and well-groomed blond hair. I remember he had bright blue eyes.
When I was trying to describe Nic to Nelson, I felt the pressure to be helpful. The more I thought about his features, the more confused I became.
When I saw a picture of what he actually looked like, I could see that I had some details right, but my drawing made him look younger and more clean-cut than he really was.
Mary’s memory of what Nic looked like.
(Image exclusive to Take 5)Witness 3: Kim, features editor
I saw Nic chat to a few people in the office, but I didn’t speak to him myself.
I was unsure about describing him at first, but with some prompts from Nelson I was able to jog my memory.
I thought he had dark eyes, either brown or deep hazel, facial hair around his chin and short dishwater-blond hair.
I remembered that he was wearing a dark blue polo shirt. As soon as I saw the photo, I knew I’d made mistakes.
The nose was too thin and he was in a hoodie, but I swear he was in the shirt!
Kim’s memory of what Nic looked like.
(Image exclusive to Take 5)Witness 4: Mitch, deputy features editor
As soon as I found out he was an actor, I knew I was in trouble.
Although I knew I’d seen him and even spoken to him, I had no idea what he looked like.
My whole encounter with Nelson was a complete guess. I thought that Nic might have had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a pale, skinny face. Most handymen wear polo shirts, so I guessed that he was wearing one.
I knew my sketch would be way off and I was right. Nic looked completely different! My sketch even looked like another member in our team.
Awkward.
Nic says:
“When I saw how the witnesses had described me in the drawings, I was pretty blown away by how different they all were – and that none of them actually looked too much like me.
I don’t have any inkling to commit a crime in real life, but now I know if I did, I don’t have to be too worried about anyone seeing me!”
