Willem van Heemstra: Crime Scene Cleaners

As a boy I wanted to become a Police Officer. Therefore, I cut out slips from the TV guide to receive information packages and hopefully.. stickers! My door had lots of Police stickers on them and when visiting London with my parents, they bought me a plastic Bobby helmet to fit with my road agent suit. Oh was I pleased driving around in my skelter (i.e. child's car), wearing my 'uniform' !

UK Bobby Helmet

Bobby

Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was British Prime Minister from December 1834 to April 1835, and again from September 1841 to July 1846. He arranged the organization of the Metropolitan Police Force for London based out of Scotland Yard. As a result the colloquial term for a police officer in Britain, "Bobby", is taken from Peel's name, as is the older slang term "peeler".

Though at first unpopular they proved very successful in cutting crime in London, and by 1835 all cities in the UK were being directed to form their own police forces. Known as the father of modern policing, his Peelian Principles defined the ethical requirements police officers must follow in order to be effective. His most memorable principle is: The police are the public, and the public are the police.

Back to today...

Crime Scene Cleaners

Two 3rd Year student from Napier University in Edinburgh are producing a film called "Crime Scene Cleaners". The profession of a Crime Scene Cleaner - I had never known until now - is highly regarded, especially in the crime-drenched States of Amerika.

According to an article published on CNN (see :Crime-scene cleaner) a Crime-scene cleaner can earn upto a six-figure wage. This career is truly a case of "no guts, no glory." But don't expect much in the way of glory.

Among their tasks: "Cleaning blood off walls and small family trinkets, ripping out stained carpeting, disposing of furniture, dealing with decomposed bodies or the loose remains of murder victims." (As Gospodarski put it, the medical examiner takes the big pieces, the crime-scene cleaners take the rest.)

Right, so much for my next career move ;o)

The film needs a storyboard, and that's where I have been asked to participate...

Storyboarding Crime-scene cleaners: meet Cameron and Ewan.

Next, you will see a few of my first drawings that picture the story of these two cleaners... when visiting a scene of crime at an old, deserted farm house.