Criminal Record Management Systems on Crime Investigation Efficiency in the Nigeria Police Force
National security remains a critical concern in Nigeria due to the persistence of violent crimes such as terrorism, kidnapping, ritual killings, and organized criminal activities across different geopolitical zones. These security challenges have exposed structural weaknesses in criminal information management within law enforcement agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force. Effective crime investigation depends largely on the availability, accuracy, and accessibility of criminal records, yet many police divisions still rely on fragmented or manual record-keeping systems that hinder timely decision-making. This study examines the role of Criminal Record Management Systems in enhancing crime investigation efficiency within the Nigeria Police Force. The study adopts the Structured Systems and Design Methodology as an acceptable software engineering framework to analyze, design, and evaluate a centralized criminal record management system. The proposed system integrates administrative, network, criminal, and most wanted modules to facilitate secure information sharing, real time record retrieval, and improved investigative coordination. The system was implemented using PHP for backend processing, HTML and CSS for frontend interface design, and MySQL for database management. Findings from the system evaluation indicate significant improvements in investigation speed, data accuracy, and interdivisional collaboration. The study concludes that the adoption of a centralized and automated criminal record management system can substantially strengthen crime investigation processes and enhance national security outcomes in Nigeria.
Keywords: Criminal Record Management System, Crime Investigation Efficiency, Nigeria Police Force, Policing Information Systems
