“Crime-Ex 2025 at KazNU: Professional Mastery of the Top Experts in Criminalistics and Forensic Examination”

   On December 5, 2025, the Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics, together with the Center for Research on Crime Prevention Issues, held the 12th International Professional Skills Competition “The Best Experts in Criminalistics and Forensic Science – Crime-Ex 2025” among undergraduate students, master’s students, cadets, and learners enrolled in the educational programs Law and Law Enforcement Activity.

At the first Crime-Ex 2014 competition, initiated and inspired by Professor R. E. Jansarayeva, Head of the Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics, three teams from universities in Almaty participated. Over the years, the geography of participating universities has expanded, the number of teams has increased, and the competition has firmly established itself within the academic educational space, becoming a vibrant and highly anticipated annual event.

This year, the annual event was held within the framework of the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
Goal 3 – Good Health and Well-being;
Goal 4 – Quality Education: ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The competition brought together 13 teams from leading universities of Kazakhstan and abroad.

The participants demonstrated profound theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the field of criminalistics and forensic science, immersing themselves in real-life scenarios and complex tasks. They showed a high level of professionalism and creativity in solving forensic challenges. Each team presented unique approaches and innovative ideas aimed at crime investigation. The event became a platform for experience exchange, communication with like-minded peers, and creative inspiration for further professional development. It contributes to forming a comprehensive understanding of the profession among students, master’s students, cadets, and trainees, while developing critical thinking and teamwork skills—key aspects in training qualified law enforcement professionals.

According to the results of the competition, as determined by an independent jury consisting of experienced practicing criminalists and forensic experts, the awards were distributed as follows:

Grand Prix and the specially designed Crime-Ex Grand Prix Cup were awarded to the team “Academicians” of the Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies under the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana.

First Place Diplomas and the specially designed Crime-Ex 2025 First Place Cup were awarded to the teams “Moment of Truth” of the B. Beisenov Karaganda Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Karaganda, and “Detective Code” of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty.

Second Place Diplomas and the specially designed Crime-Ex 2025 Second Place Cup were awarded to the teams “Tomiris” of the M. Yesbulatov Almaty Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty; “Qorqyt Iz Kesushileri” of Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, Kyzylorda; and “Agatha Christie” of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty.

Third Place Diplomas and the specially designed Crime-Ex 2025 Third Place Cup were shared by the teams “Treasures of Agra” of Kunayev University, Almaty; “Trace of Justice” of M. Auezov South Kazakhstan State Research University, Shymkent; “Seven Squad Articles” of Turan University, Almaty; and “Militsiya” of the Almaty branch of St. Petersburg University of Humanities and Social Sciences, Almaty.

For the first time, the youngest participants from the College of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, received awards: Best Group – the team “Trace Storm”, and Most Creative Group – the team “Evidence”.

Additionally, in the interuniversity competition “Crime-Ex 2025”, the team “Qorqyt Iz Kesushileri” of Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, Kyzylorda, won the Audience Choice Award for receiving the highest number of online votes.