CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The traditional and age-old system of intelligence and criminal record

maintenance has failed to live up to the requirements of the existing crime

scenario. Manual processes neither provide accurate reliable and

comprehensive data round the clock nor does it help in trend prediction and

decision support. It also results in lower productivity and ineffective

utilisation of manpower. The solution to this ever-increasing problem lies in

the effective use of Information Technology. Crime Tracking Information

System uses computer-generated records as an interface for integrating and

accessing massive amounts of location-based information.

Crime tracking system allows police personnel to plan effectively for

emergency response determine mitigation priorities analyse historical

events and predict future events. Crime tracking system helps identify

potential suspects to increase investigators suspect base when no leads are

evident. The ability to access and process information quickly while

displaying it in a spatial and visual medium allows agencies to allocate

resources quickly and more effectively. In the ‘mission-critical’ nature of

law enforcement information about the location of a crime incident

suspect or victim is often crucial to determine the manner and size of the

response. Crime tracking software helps co-ordinate vast amounts of

location-based data from multiple sources. It enables the user to layer the

data and view the data most critical to the particular issue or mission.

It is used world over by police departments both large and small to provide

solutions for crime analysis criminal tracking traffic safety community

policing Intranet/Internet mapping and numerous other tasks.

Crime tracking system helps crime officers determine potential crime sites

by examining complex seemingly unrelated criteria and displaying them all

in an interface. It also helps them map inmate populations fixtures and

equipment to provide for the safety of inmates by separating gang members

identifying high-risk or potentially violent inmates and identifying

hazardous locations in an area. It reduces the potential for internal violence

by providing better command and control. Traditionally these activities

have been supported by paper and pen. Police officers now have the ability

to immediately generate crime report directly relevant to the situation at

hand. Police agencies collect vast amounts of data from many sources

including called-for-services arrests first information reports and daily

report. The same information provides a powerful decision making tool for

investigators supervisors and administrators.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The lack of reliable central case recording systems for Nigerian police

meant that cases were in effect impossible to trace without considerable

resources effort and a lot of luck. For criminal cases the impact of this has

been felt in the practice of ‘holding charge’ where people are arrested and

charged with capital offences in order to ensure their continued detention

whilst there is little or no evidence of their involvement. This issue has

contributed significantly to the visible inefficiency of the Criminal Justice

System particularly the congestion of the prisons and the courts.

To improve the flow of cases and achieve speedier administration of justice

the introduction and deployment of information technology (IT) based case

management and tracking systems is needed.

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this project is to design and implement a database for storing

crime records. This will aid the police in crime tracking and control.

The main objective of the project was to Speed up criminal trials and

reduces the length of time Awaiting Trial Prisoners (ATPs) stay in prison by

setting up a criminal case tracking system that improves coordination

between justice institutions. The system would ensure a better case flow and

efficient data management that would inform better management decisions.

1.4 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

Implementation of a crime tracking information system by the Nigerian

police will help the police and the masses to get useful information on

individuals with crime records. The system developed will among other

things:

1. Maintain a database of all crime records

2. Enable a quick search on the database to retrieve crime information

3. Enables Enugu police and the Nigerian police to track previous

crimes committed by a suspect.

4. Improved operational efficiency through the use of a standardized

system searchable digital repository of relevant documents automated

workload distributed and virtual boarding of cases.

5. With Case Tracking System (CTS) it is possible to access contact

details of the Nigeria police Force (NPF) and the judiciary at a glance and it

facilitates quicker and more effective communication between the police

and judiciary. With Case Tracking Information System attorney’s would

spend less time to utilize the information in a manner that is most beneficial

to them.

1.5 LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT

Due to time and financial constraint I was unable to visit most of the

police stations in Enugu to gather information on the existing crime

tracking information system. Few police stations were visited and the

information gathered from the officers in charge forms the basis for the

design of the new system.