Imagine, in England, UK, a human limb is found lying in the street. How long does it take for the police in UK to be at the scene to investigate the area for clues and in search of the remainder of the body? And if the dogs trace the rest of the body to a house, and there's no answer when police knock at the door, how long does it take for the police to get a warrent so they can enter the private grounds and continue their search there?

The questions I ask are in accordance to UK police procedures, as different counttries have their own procedure timescales.

Thanks.

 

You might try calling your local police station to see if there's someone who would be willing to serve as a consultant. That's what I did with one of my novels. Strangely, they seemed to be used to getting this sort of question. The officer I spoke with was very friendly and happy to answer questions. On the other hand, he did say that I made it easier for him because I had done a lot of research before calling. I was able to ask very specific questions. He also offered to let me do a ride-along, but I didn't need that for my story and felt like I would have been doing it just to be a voyeur.

Do a search on Police here. There's a thread about police procedurals somewhere here that has a lot of good links.
 

Then again, I seem to remember hearing that a lot of serial killers have some sort of facial disfigurement, including crooked teeth. Maybe the fact that odd looking people aren't hounded into seclusion by a culture of perfectionism is why they don't have as many grisly murders. I mean, maybe all the potential serial killers are voted into parliament.