DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CRIMINAL RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

1.1 Introduction

A Criminal Record Management System can generally decide on the next step to be taken in a problem solving issue. Traditionally, computer software has used an algorithmic or procedural approach to problem solving in other words it sued a rigid step-by-step approach. But to be able to function correctly, of all the possible combinations of input and data values have to be including in the program. This manually manipulation of case in state CID (i.e. Enugu state CID headquarters) involve two levels, the data and the code or control. But this approach is that complex task require complex codes, and to aid new information.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

National security has been a source of concern to all and sundry in Nigeria. There is the issue of religious crisis in some states of the Northern part of Nigeria, ritual killings and kidnappings in some states of the South-East and South-South, sectarian clashes in some states of the South-West, bombings in Abuja and some states of the federation. In order to reinforce Security and Justice in Nigeria, and to ensure the security of citizens, it is important to establish at all levels a concrete and user-friendly system which will enable an efficient exchange of information on previous convictions of criminals. Information about previous convictions shall circulate between judges and prosecutors as well as police authorities. This is essential in order to provide adequate responses to crime and also to prevent new crimes from being committed. It should not be forgotten that prior to the arrival of the British, criminal laws were existing in this part of the world now known as Nigeria, wherever there was political entity requiring the enforcement of standards of behavior and imposing punishment for their breach.

Peter (2010) describes the Criminal Record Management System as one that will enable the police to have accurate statistics to draw analysis from, on information of a case, the year a crime was committed, who investigated it, etc”. The police may decide that an offence is not serious enough to warrant recording. It is important to observe that in Nigeria with, the high level of illiteracy amongst both the public and the police and the high level of corruption, it is not unlikely that it is only very few cases that will ever get recorded. In recent times, with the economic hardship the country is going through it is not uncommon for the police to complain about lack of stationeries in cases which they may wish to record James N. (2010).

In most of the North were highly systematic and sophisticated Islamic laws. The laws were so systematic that there were several schools of jurists, and even differences within them. Nigeria is one of the limited members of the countries in the world that has death penalty, however according to figures in 2007 the Nigerian police annual reports have no records of crimes according to regions, states or cities. However, it is generally known in Nigeria that property crimes are perpetrated more in the Southern states than in the Northern states. This may be due to greater business activity in the South (Nigeria Annual Police Report, 1986 – 1989).

Although the police record of crime is generally acclaimed as being closest to the criminal happenings, it is plagued by the following problems:

The victim may not be aware that an offence has been committed. This frequently happens when employees are dishonest over deliveries of goods, receiving money and thefts by employees within the store or business. Such losses are often written off during stock taking as shortages or breakages. There is an enormous amount of internal dishonesty which is never discovered or which is condoned.

The 'victim' may have been a willing partner to the crime and so it 'is unlikely to be discovered unless a third reports it. This is the case for many sexual offences against children, and criminal abortion and homosexual offences. Even where the victim knows an offence has been committed and has not consented to it or partaken in it, he or she may decide not to report the offence to the police for a variety of reasons. It may be regarded as too trivial to warrant such a report.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

During the analysis and data collection of this project, it was discovered there has existed a manual form of storing and keeping information for future use on criminal record at state CID Enugu. That is to say that the process of daily task and activities are done manually quite unfortunately, manually procedural for job execution delays and reduces ones output quality.

Manual criminal record keeping has resulted in many set lacks to the expected standard. The bottleneck encountered includes:

1. Time wasted and resultants long quarries
2. Partial or total loss of file or documents
3. Under recording of criminal analysis
4. Exposures of confidential matters
5. Inefficiency of some members of staff due to laziness in searching of the files.

As a result of these problem, the manual system of crime record system information storage, input and retrieval is very clumsy: inefficient and unbelievable.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to Design and Implement a Criminal Record Management System using State C.I.D. Headquarters Enugu as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were set out as follows:

1. To develop a database system that can be used to record criminal record
2. To implement a system that can be used to easily find existing criminal record
3. To develop a system that can aid investigation of criminal records by querying the database based on specific criteria
4. To present a system that will provide reports instantly of existing criminal records when needed.

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1.5 Significance of Study

The significance of the study is that it will provide a system that will aid police investigation. In addition, it will also bring to light the application of computers in police investigation. Also, the police force will find useful information in this research material that will enable them to handle the investigation of cases at an international standard that is globally acceptable.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.6 Scope of Study

The study focuses on the Design and Implementation of a Criminal Record Management System using State C.I.D. Headquarters Enugu as a case study. The research work is limited to the same of crime record by Enugu State CID. And this crime includes: rape, arson, fire-outbreak, murder, stealing, and armed robbery.

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1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

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1.8 Definition of Terms

To fully understand what the study is all about, important and dispensable terms have been chosen and due definition given to them.

Computer: This is an electronic device operated under the control of instruction stored in its memory unit which can accept and store data for future use as well as produce output from the processing.

User Interface: The human computer interface or user interface technology allows users to interact with the system. The user presents the problem and the conclusion presented to him/her.

Knowledge Base: This is the most important element of a record system; since it holds expert’s problem solving knowledge. It is where the knowledge elicited from the expert is stored.

Inference Engine: This is the part of the program which reasons and determines how to apply the knowledge into the knowledge base, to the facts and premises presented at the user interface it perform this task in order to deduces new fact which are used to draw further conclusions.

Crime Record: Crime record and criminal proceedings are concerned with wrongs regarded as committed by the individual against society for which guilty individuals must be punished.

Police: A civil organization whose members are given special legal powers by the government and whose task is to maintain public order and to solve and prevent crimes

Investigation: An examination or inquiry into something, especially a detailed one that is undertaken officially, or the act of undertaking an examination.

Crime: An action prohibited by law or a failure to act as required by law

DNA: A nucleic acid molecule in the form of a twisted double strand double helix that is the major component of chromosomes and carries genetic information.

Surveillance: Continual observation of a person or group, especially one suspected of doing something illegal

CCTV: (Closed Circuit Television), a system used for broadcasting TV signals captured from security cameras

Forensics: The application of a broad spectrum of sciences and technologies to investigate and establish facts of interest in relation to criminal of civil law.