Facing up to crime

Media release 25 October 2004

Is the person arrested actually the one caught on camera? An innovator from Sydney is turning identification from an art into a science.

You are being watched much of the time. Surveillance cameras are now a permanent feature of many public buildings and other public spaces. A photograph of a suspect provides a good start for the police to track down offenders.

But what happens when the photo is blurry or when it has captured the person at an odd angle? That’s where Fresh Innovator Meiya Sutisno, a forensic anatomy expert, can help. She has built a business on matching people to their images.

“Recent changes to the law have stated that recorded images of individuals committing a crime are of little value unless an expert can link them with an acceptable degree of certainty to a particular person or persons,” she says.

While the law is couched this way to prevent false accusations, this presents a problem for police who do not have the expertise to confirm that an image does indeed match their suspect.

“I have developed a system of analysis whereby I can provide the expert advice required to identify whether a suspect matches the recorded image,” says Meiya.

“My technqiue is an expansion of Visual Biometric Analysis which involves looking at the dimensions and proportions of the head and facial features. I also look at the close interrelationship between the facial soft tissues to the underlying bony skull, as well body and visible habitual gestures. And the system also allows me to deduce racial background,” says Sutisno.

She developed the concept during her doctoral research on Forensic Anatomy at the University of Sydney, and now runs her own business providing expert advice to investigators in cases where the link between recorded images and the suspect needs to be verified, or a face reconstructed from a skull or human remains identified. Meiya also does casting of bones and fossils.

After the recent bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Meiya went over to assist the Indonesian National Police in identifying the remains. Prior to this she was in Bali training Forensic Dentists in Disaster Victim Identification at the invitation of the Indonesian Ministry of Health and Dental Association. Her work has been presented at police, crime and forensic science conferences.

Not only has Sutisno’s expertise assisted police, it has also helped solve some social mysteries. She reconstructed a face for the ABC from the skull of Ned Kelly, and did a facial reconstruction for the Queensland Museum on Harry, the unknown sailor from HMS Pandora - the frigate sent in search of the infamous Bounty mutineers in 1790.

Meiya was one of 16 early career innovators to win a place at Fresh Innovators – a national initiative where early-career innovators present their work to students, the general public and the media. The Fresh Innovators program was supported by the Australian Government through the National Innovation Awareness Strategy and one of the innovators will win a study tour to the UK courtesy of the British Council Australia.  

About the Inventor

Meiya did a science degree at the University of Sydney with her honours project in Forensic Anatomy. Her doctoral research covered forensic facial identification from the skull and using surveillance camera images under the supervision of Professors John Hilton and Clive Harper.

For interview or more information: Meiya Sutisno 0417 213 363

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