Background of the Study
Security is the most vital aspect of every society all over the globe irrespective of the location. Conventionally the management of records and profile is in our police stations are done manually by writing on paper, filing and categorizing the collected data and storing them in a cabinet or shelves. This method is slow and painstaking as retrieval of this data involves searching through hundreds or thousands of files to retrieve a small piece of information depending on the size of institution.
With the introduction of computers and Information System (IS), the process of collection and management of data which involved record keeping and profile management in police stations has been tremendously improved as the speed of data collecting and retrieval increased significantly thereby making data management is a major driving force in the ongoing Information Technology (IT) revolution. The records of citizens (complainant/defendant) collected serve many purposes and pass through many corporate processes. The records are so important that the police channel much resource to preserve the integrity of the records.
However, over the last few decades, there has been significant improvement in data storage, data access, data protection and data distribution where data storage was once at a high premium that a single CD-ROM can now store 500MB of data. Rumours has it next generation of CD-ROMs will store at least ten times that amount but there has been challenges in the last few years to the traditional data security and access philosophies. The lessons learnt over the years show that the continuing importance of data and the increase in citizens’ records and profile no matter how it is accessed or packaged will undoubtedly play a central role in the health and competitiveness of police in the future, (Alter, 2002).
The history of information systems coincides with the history of computer science that began long before the modern discipline of computer science emerged in the twentieth century. Regarding the circulation of information and ideas, numerous legacy information systems still exist today that are continuously updated to promote ethnographic approaches, to ensure data integrity, and to improve the social effectiveness and efficiency of the whole process.
Before the concept of information systems was created, computer scientists were just programmers creating applications for science and math calculations. As computer usage evolved in fields of business and data management, software applications were needed to process nonscientific data. A field of study was needed to bridge the gap between computer programmers and the business world to create information-based applications for business and networks(Micheal, 2009).Presently, the police force in developing countries still adopt the use of the traditional file based approach, and this un-reliable storage facilities posses a big threat which can result to data insecurity from theft of files or other important documents, damage of folders and misplacement of vital records. Currently, the Nigeria Police Force battle with the problem of carrying files, complains, investigation records, fraud, kidnapping and the processing of various files in numerous departments. This is fast wearing them out and in fact breaking down the relationship between them and the citizens. Case identification has become a thing of concern and the time spent filing the records of the citizens involved in one case or the other, ensuring its integrity and access to the records by the administrative office can be a challenge.
The challenges and constraints posed by work pressure, increasing volume of work as well as error during collection and computation of data in the manual method and delay in accessing the records has necessitated the introduction of an online police information management system. The police institution is a generic human service establishment saddled principally with the task ofsafeguarding internal security and safety inalmost civil societies. In Nigeria, the police areofficials of government and society, responsible for the prevention and control of crimes anddisorders as well as the detection, apprehension and prosecution of perpetrators of crimes andviolence in the country. (Alemika, 1993). As such, there isprobably no other security control organizationthat has an intimate dealing with the largesegment of the Nigerian populace as the police.Essentially therefore, law enforcement or socialcontrol is the generally agreed responsibility ofthe Nigeria police. They must be available incase of need of almost any kind and demonstrateabsolute commitment at all times to render thebest possible service to the public. Converselyhowever, the reverse is arguably the case inNigeria. Presently, Nigeria is suffering from a growingcrime-problem, which is progressivelythreatening its sovereignty, security anddevelopment (Alemika, 2012). Despite the constitutionalpowers granted the police to maintain generalsecurity, public safety and peace, the quality ofsecurity provided by them has nothing to beproud of. Their roles in many cases denigrate thelaw, endangering the citizens and blotting theinstitutional reputation of the police that theyrepresent.
This research is focused on introducing a web based crime records information system as a tool that will improve crime monitoring and investigation by the Nigerian Police. The system can be used by all state CIDs (Crime Investigation Department) since it is web based, and can be accessed for anywhere.