BABCOCK UNIVERSITY

ILISHAN-REMO

OGUN STATE

PROJECT PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

AWARD FOR

B.SC. COMPUTER SCIENCE

TITLE:

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A CRIME RECORDS MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM FOR THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE

SUBMITTED BY:

OLAORE OLUFUNMIKE A., 11/2219

SOWUNMI OLUWAWUNMI O., 11/2263

UGO-EZEABA ANITA A., 11/2271

SUBMITTED TO:

PROFESSOR OLUDELE AWODELE

DATE:

16TH APRIL 2014

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

No punishment has ever possessed enough power of deterrence to prevent the commission of

crimes. On the contrary, whatever the punishment, once a specific crime has appeared for the

first time, its reappearance is more likely than its initial emergence could ever have been.

(Arendt, 1906-1975).

Crime is an act or the commission of an act that is commanded by a public law and makes the

offender liable to punishment by that law (Merriam-Webster,2014).

The challenges to National security in Nigeria are enormous and as such are the issues of

religious crisis in some states of the northern 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.

The above mentioned issues constitute a threat to national security, and if not curtailed, might

escalate to greater proportions that might plunge the country into confusion. To maintain

peace and harmony in the society, man has to fashion out some laws to govern the conduct of

members of the society. When people abide by these codes of conduct and laws, protection of

lives and properties are guaranteed.

“A record is a specific piece of information produced or retrieved in the initiation, conduct or

completion of an institutional or individual activity. It comprises sufficient content, context

and structures to provide evidence of the activity. It is not ephemeral – that is, it contains

information that is worthy of preservation in the short, medium, or long-term.”1

The Nigeria Police is a National Institution designed in the best traditions of the public

service to serve the long term interests of Nigeria. It is Nigeria’s Principal Law Enforcement

Agency and an indispensable Organ of the Executive Arm of Government. The Nigerian

1 (Public Records Office, International Council on Archives, Committee on Electronic Records, 1998).

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Police is by law charged with the responsibility of preventing and detecting crime, preserving

peace and order and enforcing all laws and regulations. A system of providing the Nigerian

Police with information regarding criminals and the various activities they had carried out in

the past, will go a long way in helping to checkmate criminals and their activities; and this

will also help in identifying new cases of crimes and criminals within a given area. A

Criminal Records Management System will assist the police with useful information that will

help in apprehending, prosecuting, and sanctioning criminals.

It has been acknowledged that the nearest we can get to the criminal happenings or events is

the record kept by the Police, of crimes reported to them (James, 2010).The use of computers

and other communication devices that will help in keeping track of criminals and the various

activities they engaged in, is currently very minimal.

The police keep their records on paper and this does not help their efficiency as it does not

provide accurate, reliable and comprehensive data round the clock. 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 (Kawai &

Samson, 2011). The Crime Records Management System beats the method of paperwork

adopted here in Nigeria. On this platform, all records are computerized, thus eliminating loss

of data through rough handling by the Police Department, and this makes investigation of

future crimes relatively easier.

Police officers now have the ability to immediately generate crime report directly relevant to

the situation at hand rather than searching through numerous, dusty files. The CRMS will

enable the police to have accurate and sufficient statistics on information of a case; the year a

crime was committed, who investigated it and other related criminal information.

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The same information provides a powerful decision making tool for policemen, investigators,

database administrators, judges and fellow law enforcement agencies.

The advent of the background screening industry in Nigeria with companies like Background

Check International and Risk control has led to the performance of background checks for

civil purposes than for criminal investigations. Most Nigerian employers now request

criminal history information as part of the hiring process. For example Etisalat, First Bank,

AccessBank, Brunel Energy,Day Waterman College, Guinness, Lafarge, MTN Project Fame,

Glaxo Smith Kline and Exxon Mobil demand background checks on all or virtually all

applicants(Background Check International, 2014). Criminal background reports are only as

reliable as the underlying records from which they are drawn 2 (Gaebler, 2013). And this only

emphasizes more on the need for an efficient, accurate, comprehensive and reliable Crime

Record Management System.

1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

We want to design a system for the proper recording of criminal activities that will enable

storage, retrieval and security of criminal information within Nigeria.

The use of manual process using paper files in the documentation of criminal information by

the Nigerian Police Force has had a negative impact on the Nigerian population such as; a

drawback in policing, increased level of insecurity in the economy as a whole and so on due

to; delayed access to information, unavailability of information from former years resulting

from loss of criminal data, stolen or misplaced criminal case files, damaged case files either

2 Criminal Records in the Digital Age: A Review of Current Practices and Recommendations for Reform in Texas, Pg. 14, Helen Gaebler, 2013. This document shows how importanat it is to steer clear of having a criminal record as it restricts opportunities for a lot of things, and it also suggests reforms on entry of such records, and dissemination of information to the public.

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by pest, water or fire outbreak. The first pieces of information in a criminal case file are

generated at the point of contact between a suspect and the police. Subsequent pieces of

information are then generated by other criminal justice agencies.3 (CRIMSYS, 2010)

Access to the criminal information is not well controlled and there is no clear security on

avoiding possible manipulation of information which results in possible alteration by

unauthorized users.

Retrieving information from this type of system can be cumbersome and time consuming

especially when searching for information from former years.

With the current situation, moral decadence is being promoted as it becomes highly difficult

if not impossible to track down criminals, access past criminal history of a suspect and solve

crime cases and if not addressed in the nearest future would have an appalling effect on the

Nigerian population, hence the need for a CRMS which will go a long way in aiding the

police in combatting crime in the country through easy access to criminal information for

referencing in solving crimes, proper storage of criminal information, and proper integration

of criminal information.

1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this project is to design and implement a crime records management system to

assist the Nigerian Police in storage and retrieval of information; the objectives are, to:

i. Design a user friendly interface for users such as policemen, investigators,

database administrators and judges.

ii. Have a database of every criminal information such as crime committed,

evidences and detectives in charge.

3 Crime Justice Information Management System, 2010.

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iii. Building security and monitoring control to ensure only authorized personnel have

access to the criminal information.

1.3 METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW

The approach to design this system is the Structured System Design Methodology, since it is

an acceptable software engineering principle for the design of software. It consists of starting

with the final design or imagery of the proposed system and is gradually decomposed into

more and more detailed fragments, until it is finally understood.

The project will be carried out, following the basic stages involved in design and

implementation of criminal record management software. The stages are briefly discussed

below

Problem identification and specification: The problems associated with the criminal

record management system are first identified. This will be done by critically

analyzing the existing system and the intended system.

The data required for this system will be obtained by conducting interviews with law

enforcement agents, reviewing related works and journals and other sources of

information such as the internet.

Using relevant facts obtained from relevant sources such as journals and related

works, the spiral model of system design will be adopted in designing the CRMS.

The design will be implemented as a web program using tools such as the Oracle

SQL which is mandatory for the implementation of the database for criminal records;

also Hypertext mark-up language (HTML), JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheet

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(CSS) will be adopted for the design of an interactive user interface, the hypertext

mark-up language will also be adopted for the linking of web pages.

Password authentication and Biometrics machine such as the fingerprint scanner will

be applied, for the purpose of controlling access to the CRMS and also used to ensure

that individuals that commit crimes are captured with their unique identity.

After the development and implementation, the system will be tested to ensure that, it fulfills

the objective of the project. The CRMS software will be installed on the computer system for

use.

1.4 JUSTIFICATION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The software will improve the way records are maintained by the Police Force. It will:

1. Enhance proper and efficient management of criminal records by the Nigerian Police

Force.

2. Aid law enforcement agents, that is, the police officers, in their bid to solve crime

cases.

3. Reduce dependence on personnel in possession of case files.

4. Help background screening companies make recommendations easily of an applicant

without the stress of going to the police station and searching through files.

5. Help in making informed decisions in the case of criminal justice.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

This project focuses on the development and implementation of a software based crime

records management system for the Nigerian Police Force. The organizations that will benefit

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from this are background screening companies and the Ministry of Justice. This system

supports the easy storage, fast and easy retrieval and accessibility, proper tracking and

enhanced security of criminal records and information. The CRMS also supports easy and

protected interchange of information between the involved parties using the specified level of

privileges.

1.6 CLOSELY RELATED WORKS

1.6.1 SNOOP STATION

This is a legitimate investigation site that lets you conduct personalized and real background

checks, free. All information on this site falls under public records and are legal to access by

US citizens. The site can be used to search for public records such as court records, sex

offender records, and civil property records. The database for records is manually updated

(snoopstation, 2014). Here the directories are built and maintained in a way that you can

simply enter your name, hit search and see any relevant records that match that query in a

matter of seconds. All felonies and misdemeanours are included in a criminal background

check. The records are organized by country and state. The snoop station provides users easy

access to public records, can be used to locate records of individuals and also perform

background checks on business and individual. The site provides users an easy to use

interface for accessing information in verification of facts, discovery of new information and

it creates a profile for a person using their background (snoopstation, 2014). It is not a

centralized engine and it takes time to perform an investigation but it does not cost anything.

Strength:

i. Free background checks on individuals.

ii. Information is from the best public record provider and easily accessible.

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Weaknesses:

i. It is not secure, as anyone can have access to public criminal information.

ii. It is not a centralized engine and it takes time to perform an investigation.

1.6.2 SUN RIDGE SYSTEMS INC

Sun ridge systems develop and market public safety software used by law enforcement

agencies. It is a computer-aided dispatch and records based system. Information provided at

any point of the suite is automatically immediately available throughout the entire product

suite. RIMS law enforcement management system provides an effective way to organize

track and access the vast information that flows through the police department. It comprises

of features such as:

Ease: It is powerful and easy. Its strength lies in how simple it is to use. The use of help

screens provides support to users as they navigate.

It provides information on: people; (which contains personal information about people as

well as a history of their contacts with your agency), aliases; (each person in RIMS can have

a number of aliases which can include names or monikers, social security number etc.),

warrants; (RIMS stores local warrants and warrants from other agencies, personal

information entered into warrants is also added to the person file), vehicles; (all vehicle

information collected is automatically entered in the database), property, case investigation

etc.

The RIMS simplifies records with its single point of entry, automatic dissipation of data to

wherever it is needed and close integration with dispatch operation.

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STRENGTH:

i. Quick and automatic dissipation of information to every part of the suite

ii. Provides an effective way to organize, track and access the vast information

that flows through the police department

WEAKNESS:

i. It does not allow entry via different entry point

1.6.3 NATIONAL CRIME INFORMATION CENTRE (NCIC)

The NCIC database was created under the FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, of the United States

of America in 1967(NCIC, 2008). This database held a centralized information system that

eased information flow between numerous law enforcement branches. NCIC is a

computerized database of documented criminal justice information available to virtually

every law enforcement agency nationwide (NCIC-FBI, 2008). The goal here is to assist law

enforcement in apprehending fugitives, locating stolen property, locating missing persons and

further protecting law enforcement personnel and the public.

It consists of eighteen files of which there are seven property files and eleven person files.

The database contains images that can be associated with NCIC records to assist agencies in

identifying people and property items (NCIC-FBI, 2008). The information passing through

the network is encrypted to prevent unauthorized access. Each user of the system is

authenticated to ensure proper levels of access for every transaction. To enable a requiring

officer to access information about something the inquiring agency needs to contact with the

entering agency to verify the information is accurate and up-to-date.

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STRENGTHS:

i. It is secure as information passing through the network is encrypted to prevent

unauthorized access.

ii. It contains images which can be used as a cross reference in solving crimes

WEAKNESS:

i. NCIC is extremely vulnerable to misuse, particularly by individuals with

authorized access, due to its organizational structure and control weaknesses in

some state systems that access NCIC. (Office, 1993)

ii. The NCIC security policy is too broad, contains minimum requirements, and does

not require specific access controls. (Office, 1993)

1.6.4 CANADIAN CRIMINAL REAL TIME IDENTIFICATION SERVICES

(CCRTIS)

CCRTIS established 2012, contains the national repository of fingerprint and criminal record

and is mandated to provide direct operational support to the Canadian law enforcement,

criminal justice and public security communities as well as international partners such as FBI

and Interpol (CCRTIS, 2012).

STRENGTHS:

The biometric data management: maintains the national fingerprint repository for authorized

law enforcement agency.

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Latent operations: it provides verification of fingerprints taken from crime scenes to support

police activities of law enforcement.

Canadian police services information centre: provides criminal records and identification

services to all system users, including Interpol.

Criminal record analysis services (CRAS): It responds to request for assistance in

determining Criminal record information by law enforcement agencies and the court.

(CCRTIS, 2012)

Others include; automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS).

WEAKNESS:

i. The RCMP’s Forensic Laboratory Services does not meet turnaround targets in

the delivery of its services and clients lack the opportunity to influence operations.

ii. A backlog remains in updating individuals’ criminal record information.

1.6.5 EUROPEAN CRIME RECORDS INFORMATION SYSTEM (ECRIS)

In Europe, criminals were able to move between European countries, but with the advent of

the European Crime Records Information System, ECRIS, in 2012, there is, in existence, a

computerized system which is set to achieve an efficient exchange of information on criminal

convictions between EU countries (ECRIS, 2012). It is based on a decentralized IT

architecture, i.e. the criminal records data is stored in national databases and released to other

EU countries upon request (ECRIS, 2012). The inspiration of this system was the ‘Network

of Judicial Registers’, a pilot project which involved eleven EU countries namely Belgium,

Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland,

Slovakia and the United Kingdom. This pilot project is now phasing out.

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STRENGHTS:

i. The Commission has put special software called 'reference implementation' at

their disposal to facilitate the interconnection among EU countries.

ii. The transmission of information on convictions is made electronically, through a

standardized European format, using two reference tables listing categories of

offences and penalties which facilitate automatic translation and enhance mutual

understanding of the information transmitted.

iii. It controls access as EU countries have to indicate appropriate codes for the

category of the offence and the penalty or sanction, which is automatically

translated into the language of the recipients, enabling them to react immediately

upon receipt of the information.

WEAKNESS:

i. Since ECRIS concerns only EU nationals, it is currently not possible to determine

whether third country nationals were previously convicted in other EU countries

without consulting all of them.

1.6.6 COMPUTERIZED CRIME TRACKING INFORMATION SYSTEM

Author: Aniekwe Vivian, August 2012

This project was aimed at developing a computerized method of tracking criminals. The

model used was not specified. The project consisted of the database of criminals and Enugu

State was used as the case study.

Strengths:

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i. Gives room for updating, querying and deleting of information

ii. The database is linked from the police headquarters to the local police stations, so

the circulation of information will be easier.

Weaknesses:

i. There is no limitation of accessibility, so the documents are open for anyone to

view and make changes as felt.

ii. There is no means of cross checking to ensure that data is not duplicated.

iii. Keeps record of criminals from the time of arrest to the point the suspect appears

before the court.

1.6.7 POLICE AND LAW RECORD SYSTEMS

Manufacturer: Spillman technologies

Spillman technologies Inc, a solutions company which has been in existence for thirty years

and counting is aimed at providing law enforcement and public safety software for police

departments, correctional facilities, fire departments and communications centres. One of

such softwares, Law Records, helps users to polarize incident records to one database and

generate reports too.

Strengths:

i. Paperless police records management: files are stored electronically, and images

and sound waves can be attached, thus keeping everything in one place.

ii. Dissemination of information is properly tracked.

iii. Automated workflow approvals.

iv. Efficient reporting

v. Quick searching

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vi. Data integrity: prevents duplication of data.

Weaknesses:

i. There is no mention of accessibility of information with its priviledges.

ii. There is no mentioned method of cross checking databases

1.6.8. LAW ENFORCEMENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT

MANUFACTURER: INTERGRAPH

Intergraph is a company that provides engineering software for users to view complex data.

Its law enforcement records system enables the easy sharing of law records. It empowers

users with the ability to make on-the-site database querying and creating.

Strengths:

i. Intuitive user interface

ii. Remote content management

iii. Easy viewing access and advanced searches

Weaknesses:

i. There is no mentioned platform for cross referencing

ii. There is no mentioned platform for proper collection of data, e.g. attachment of

images and sound waves.

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COMMENT

Reviewing the aforementioned works it is clear that even though many of the already existing

related works have their strengths, they still have their short comings. Some of the strengths

seen are;

- Enabling updates, querying and deleting of information

- The database is linked from the police headquarters to the local police stations, so the

circulation of information will be easier.

- Keeps record of criminals from the time of arrest to the point the suspect appears before

the court.

The systems also have some shortcomings such as;

- There is no limitation of accessibility, so the documents are open for anyone to view and

make changes.

- There is no means of cross checking to ensure that data is not duplicated (apart from

spillman technologies)

- It does not allow entry via different entry point.

The CRMS for the NPF will implement some of the characteristics of these systems as

well as improve on the weaknesses noticed as follows:

It would regulate the access to these records to prevent just anyone from accessing

public criminal records by ensuring that only background screening companies

perform criminal record checks both for individuals and organizations.

Authorized users would be able to access criminal records using different search

parameters instead of just one way of entry.

The system would make sure that suspects records are kept different from criminal

records as not all suspects end up as the criminal.

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It would provide a central repository of records for different law enforcement

agencies.

The CRMS would not only keep records of suspects and criminals but keep records of

case files within the agencies, ministry of justice and the court.

1.7 EXPECTED CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE

The CRMS for the NPF will consist of features such as:

Biometric: this will serve as a means of authenticating policemen, administrators and so on

and it will also serve as a record data for the criminal.

Interoperability: the record will be dissipated to other local police stations from the

headquarters. It will also enable authenticated users to access records concurrently.

Retrieval: the system will make use of appropriate retrieval techniques in retrieving

information from the database.

1.8 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The project is organized as follows;-

Chapter one introduces the project, the objectives of the project, its significance, scope, and

constraints are pointed out. This is to be completed between March and April.

A brief history of the Nigerian police and review of literature on Crime Records Management

System are subject matter of Chapter two. To be carried out between April and May.

Chapter three discusses system Analysis and design. It deals with detailed investigation and

analysis of the existing system and problem identification. This will last from May to June.

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Chapter four covers the system implementation, testing and integration. This would be done

from June to August.

Chapter five was the summary of findings, limitations of the project, recommendations, bill

of engineering measurement and evaluation, conclusion, bibliography and Appendix of the

project. This would be finished between August and September.

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