Sarki, Zakariyya Muhammad
(2020)
A study on the application of forensic science in criminal investigations in zone 1 of the Nigeria police.
PhD thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Abstract
Despite the rate of crimes that affects socio-economic development as well as
the safety of individuals in Nigeria, the Nigeria Police (NP) appears to underutilize
forensic science techniques in criminal investigations. Perceptual issues, personnel,
motivational and organizational factors as well as the challenges affecting the general
functions of the NP could be responsible for this situation. However, studies to
specifically understand the reasons for the NP's inability to incorporate forensic
science into their activities, even when forensic units and departments exist for years
in the organisation, are few. This current study, therefore, explored issues related to
the application of forensic science in criminal investigations by the NP. Its main
objectives were to 1) profile the Investigating Police Officers (IPOs) in terms of
sociodemographic markers and personality traits, 2) determine the availability of
forensic science, 3) reasons for the (in)adequacy of forensic facilities, 4) determine
the motivation and perception of forensics of the IPOs, and 5) identify the
organisational culture and challenges faced in applying forensic science by the NP.
The study was cross-sectional, utilizing a self-administered survey battery and semistructured
interviews as instruments for data collection. The location of the study was
zone 1 of the NP with IPOs as the respondents. Systematic sampling was used to select
the 416 survey respondents, while purposive sampling was used in selecting the 12
interview participants. SPSS version 24 was used to analyze the data; descriptive and
inferential statistics were generated using regression analysis, Mann Whitney test,
Kruskal-Wallis test, and Pearson’s correlation, among others. Seven quantitative
group hypotheses and four qualitative themes were formulated. Six null hypotheseswere rejected. The IPOs have an excellent perception of forensic science, and the
perception was associated with motivation and personality traits. It was evidenced that
there were inadequate forensic facilities that were related to organisational culture and
motivation. The relationships among some challenges were identified: unreliable
databases, lack of inter-agency cooperation, corruption and undue interference in
investigations. From the themes formulated, the qualitative findings revealed that there
were 1) positive prospects for the utilization of forensic science in criminal
investigations by the NP, 2) essential rationales were expressed with regards to the
inadequate utilization of forensic science, and 3) real challenges that should be
addressed. The results herein suggest the need for more facilities, NP training, and
updating of skills to improve investigation works.
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