Vol 6. No. 2, June 2013
African Journal of Computing & ICT © 2013 Afr J Comp & ICT – All Rights Reserved - ISSN 2006-1781 www.ajocict.net

Design and Implementation of Real-Time Crime Information System for National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Nigeria
C.H. Ugwuishiwu & K.C. Ugwu Department of Computer Science University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria Chilkodili.ugwuishiwu@unn.edu.ng H.C. Inyiamah Department of Computer Engineering Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nigeria drhcinyiama@gmail

ABSTRACT
The problems of narcotic drugs in Nigeria as manifested in the cultivation, trafficking and abuse of drug is of increasing concern to the government, social researchers, and other stakeholders. The impact of illicit drugs continues to threaten the economies and social structures of both producing and consuming countries. This paper presents an implementation framework for a reliable, efficient and mobile real- time crime information system (CIS) that will help to maintain instant flow of information between the general public and NDLEA. This application solved this problem through a just-in-time flow of crime information from an informant who could be an individual, corporate body or any other government agency to the NDLEA office for a necessary action. This kind of information if handled properly will lead to illicit drug supply suppression hence reduce its availability as well as other substances of abuse. It will also help in drug demand reduction which result in a decline in the consumption of illicit drug substances. Keywords: : NDLEA, Law Enforcement Agency, Crime, Drug Trafficking, illicit drug, information System. .
African Journal of Computing & ICT Reference Format C.H. Ugwuishiwu, H.C. Inyiamah & K.C. Ugwu (2013). Design and Implementation of Real-Time Crime Information System for National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Nigeria. Afr J. of Comp & ICTs. Vol 6, No. 1. Pp 129-136.

1. INTRODUCTION Drugs, alcohol and substance abuse have become an ever-increasing problem in Nigeria with serious health and social implications. The cultivation of hard drugs, its abuse together with trafficking has become a source of worry to the government and the society at large. The proliferation of hard drugs and its subsequent abuses has led to mental illness among young people and the deterioration of the health of the nation’s active population. Baniyi( 2008) said that drug and alcohol abuse contribute significantly to the incidence of domestic aggression, violent crimes, broken homes and juvenile delinquency. The Federal Republic of Nigeria, in reaction to the adverse effects of drug abuse on the health of users and also in fulfillment of the country’s international obligation, as a signatory to the 1988 UN Convention, which recommended separate bodies to lead the onslaught against the ravaging drug menace in many parts of the world, set up the NDLEA through Decree No. 48 of 1989, NDLEA (2011). This agency as provided in the decree was charged with eliminating the growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting, and trafficking of hard drugs and psychotropic substances. Since the establishment of NDLEA, despite all the adopted strategies geared towards the control of narcotic drug abuse, illicit drug trafficking is still on the increase. Hence, the question on the lips of everyone is why has the NDLEA been visibly inefficient in drug prevention and control? Generally speaking, criminological insights have shown that very little of the crimes committed in the society are known to law enforcement agencies. Consequently, few of the criminals are arrested and prosecuted and the impacts in our society include premature death, crime, mental health disorders, transmission of HIV/AIDS and other blood borne viruses.

129

Vol 6. No. 2, June 2013
African Journal of Computing & ICT © 2013 Afr J Comp & ICT – All Rights Reserved - ISSN 2006-1781 www.ajocict.net

According to Gyong and Tanimu (2010), less than half of the crimes committed in America each year are reported to the police, and of those recorded by the police, only about 20% are “cleared by arrest”, still an arrest by no means guarantees prosecution and conviction. Similarly, crimes in Nigeria are underdetected, underreported, under-recorded and therefore underestimated. One major cause of these problems is lack of timely flow of crime information and effective collaboration between the NDLEA and the general public. The illicit drug problem has persisted because we have not devised a working solution to the problem. Thus, this work is set to design and develop an effective and efficient mobile real-time crime information system for NDLEA that will enable an informant in any part of the country to instantly send any NDLEA’s crime related information as soon as it is detected. This will to a large extent bridge the communication gap between the agency and the general public and also reduce illicit drug-related activities to the barest minimum. This system will enable the agency to generate annual reports that have records of crimes according to regions, states or cities resulting to accurate statistics to draw analysis such as information of a case, the year a crime was committed, a location with highest crime, age range that normally commit maximum number of crime and the type of crime they commit, officer who investigated the crime. These factors will help in fighting crime effectively. The rest of the work is summarized as follows: Section 2 presents the literature Review; section 3 disuses the system Analysis and Design; section 4 deals with the system Implementation and Discussion of Findings. Section 5 presents the conclusion and recommendation. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Montaldo (2013) said that crime occurs when someone breaks the law by an overt act, omission or neglect that can result in punishment. A person who has violated a law, or has breached a rule, is said to have committed a criminal offense. According to National Crime Prevention Strategy (1996), Crime results in the deprivation of the rights and dignity of citizens, and poses a threat to peaceful resolution of differences and rightful participation of all in the democratic process. It inhibits our citizens from communicating with one another freely, from engaging in economic activity and prevents entrepreneurs and investors from taking advantage of the opportunities, which our country offers. For these reasons and many more, Government regards the prevention of crime as a national priority.

Drugs are articles that are intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or animals, and any articles other than food, water, or oxygen that are intended to affect the mental or body function of humans or animals. Narcotics are any drugs that dull the senses and commonly become addictive after prolonged use. There is no known drug that is not harmful or even poisonous at high doses, and much of the scientific work on drugs has attempted to elucidate the gap between effective and toxic doses. According to United Nations Office on drug and crime (2013), drug trafficking is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. The main examples of illicit drugs are the opiates (mostly heroin), cocaine, cannabis, and ATS (amphetamine-type stimulants) such as amphetamines, methamphetamine and ecstasy. National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (2011) stated that drug problem is as old as man and that no society is insulated from the negative consequences of illicit drugs. Many analysts are of the opinion that apart from the genocide of Second World War, no other phenomenon has had more debilitating consequences on mankind like the pandemic drug scourge. This view is anchored on the fact that even the much dreaded HIV/AIDS which has yet defied any known cure has narcotic drugs as one of its principal causes. Besides, drugs are known to induce social vices, civil upheavals and other forms of criminalities, therefore the war on drugs should be fought with vigour to reduce crime in the society, Yahaya (2011). UNRISD (1994) observed that drug users not only suffer physical, social and economic problems themselves, but they also impose many direct and indirect costs on society. Of particular concern is the relationship between drug use and crime, especially the violent crime associated with crack cocaine. Women and children who are not themselves drug users may also be affected by problems related to drug abusing men, including HIV infection. This report also noted that despite the expenditure of billions of dollars on controlling supplies, the successful capture of major traffickers and dismantling of their drug empires, and the weaning of peasant growers away from coca and opium via alternative crop incentives, supply and consumption of drugs has continued to grow. General Assembly of the United Nations (2012) report highlighted that “We will not enjoy development without security, and we will not enjoy security without development" there is a growing recognition that organized crime and illicit drugs are major impediments to development.

130

Vol 6. No. 2, June 2013
African Journal of Computing & ICT © 2013 Afr J Comp & ICT – All Rights Reserved - ISSN 2006-1781 www.ajocict.net

Tim and Tivani (2006), describes prevention as ‘the cornerstone of drug control’, as ‘other methods are useless unless the individual comes to the conclusion that drug use is against his/her own interests’. Prevention includes primary approaches (directly stopping people using drugs such as through education or law enforcement) secondary approaches (convincing users to quit), and tertiary approaches (harm reduction approaches, such as preventing needle sharing). 2.1 Some Existing Crime Information System An information system (IS) is any system that converts data into useful information. Kiirya (2007) described information systems to consist of components that interact to achieve the objective of providing information about day-to-day activities that managers can use to control business operations. An information system contains such elements as hardware, software, personnel, databases, and procedures to accomplish its objectives. Crime Information System (CIS) is any system that could be used to keep records of crimes or criminal cases which can also help in getting information pertaining to certain crimes. CIS can be used to carry out statistical analysis of crime committed within a region-e.g. SouthEastern region, Nigeria. Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) – The RISS Program is a federally funded program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). This crime information system supports law enforcement efforts nationwide to combat illegal drug trafficking, identity theft, human trafficking, violent crime, terrorist activity, and promote officer safety. RISS was established more than 30 years ago, in response to specific regional crime problems and the need for cooperation and secure information sharing among law enforcement agencies. Today, RISS is a national network comprised of six multistate centers designed to operate on a regional basis. RISS operates a secure intranet, known as RISSNET, to facilitate law enforcement communications and information sharing nationwide, Information Sharing Environment (2012). The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a USA computerized database of documented criminal justice information available to virtually every law enforcement agency nationwide. It is a nationwide system operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) dedicated to serving and supporting local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies in their mission to uphold the law and protect the public. The NCIC became operational on January 27, 1967, with the goal of assisting law enforcement in apprehending fugitives and locating stolen property. This goal has since expanded to include locating missing persons and further protecting law enforcement personnel and the public.

The NCIC database consists of 18 files. Seven property files contain records for articles, boats, guns, license plates, securities, vehicles, and vehicle and boat parts. The 11 person files are the Convicted Sexual Offender Registry, Foreign Fugitive, Identity Theft, Immigration Violator, Missing Person, Protection Order, Supervised Release, Unidentified Person, U.S. Secret Service Protective, Violent Gang and Terrorist Organization, and Wanted Person Files. In addition, the database contains images that can be associated with NCIC records to assist agencies in identifying people and property items. The Interstate Identification Index, which contains automated criminal history record information, is also accessible through the same network as the NCIC. Commonwealth (2013). Police Information Management System (PIMS) is an offline project that allows user to store police department’s case details, Complaint Details, First Information Report (FIR) Details, etc. This Software Package allows Police Departments to store all the details related to the department and use them whenever necessary. The project reports various cases, FIR report, charge sheet report, Most Wanted Criminals record, payroll, attendance reports and also can upload and view criminal photos and scanned documents. The requirements for this system was collected from Manglaore Police Station, Free Student Project (2012). 2.2 Drug Consumption and Crime There is obviously a relationship between drug consumption and crime, although it is often not clear which is cause and which is effect. In principal consuming areas such as North America and Western Europe, psycho-pharmacological effects, economiccompulsive drives and systemic violence are considered the principal components of the drugs-crime link. The most harmful psycho-pharmacological effects of drug use, particularly those associated with crack cocaine; involve people becoming irrational, excited, agitated or impulsive. Users may become unable to control their anger and vent it in the form of physical assault, including homicide. In one of the first studies clearly linking violent behaviour and crack cocaine use, it was reported that nearly half the callers to a nationwide cocaine hotline in the United States said they had committed violent crimes or aggressive acts (including child abuse, murder, robbery, rape and physical assault) while using crack, UNRISD (1994).

131

Vol 6. No. 2, June 2013
African Journal of Computing & ICT © 2013 Afr J Comp & ICT – All Rights Reserved - ISSN 2006-1781 www.ajocict.net

3. THE CRIME INFORMATION SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN This section of the work includes the architecture of the NDLEA crime information system, the database of the system and the system software requirements. 3.1 Architecture of the crime information system The NDLEA crime information system architecture defines the key components of this system together with the interactions between these components as shown in figure 1. This system architecture consist of an informant, NDLEA Head Office, Database Management System (DBMS), a web based application and NDLEA’s branch Offices at different location in the country.

This system is modeled in a way that when an NDLEA related crime is detected by an informant, he/she sends this information through a web application to NDLEA office with either a mobile phone or computer by opening NDLEA website. This information goes to the NDLEA state office (local level) nearest to the scene of the crime and gives an alert by showing on the screen that there is a new message. This enables NDLEA to instantly initiate the crime investigation process, where the state branch cannot handle the case; they forward it to their head office for a necessary action. The crime information will contain the location of the crime, time it occurred, date of the incident, name of suspect if available, the type of crime committed. This information when sent stores a copy in NDLEA database. This application can equally sends an acknowlegdement message to the crime reporter showing that the information he sent has been received. The NDLEA Database Management System (DBMS) contains all the NDLEA crime information which when properly utilized will help NDLEA to large extent in fighting the war of crime.

Fig. 1: Architecture of The NDLEA Crime Information System

132

Vol 6. No. 2, June 2013
African Journal of Computing & ICT © 2013 Afr J Comp & ICT – All Rights Reserved - ISSN 2006-1781 www.ajocict.net

3.2 Database Database has the core service for storing, processing and securing data. The database server provides controlled access and rapid transaction processing to meet the requirements of the client. Many tables were used in this work for instance a table that list all the tables in the database of this application, others contain Information on admin page, reported crime details, branch office details, etc. 3.3 Operating System and Programming Platform Windows Vista, Microsoft SQL Server, Wamp Server and Php, Css, Javascript, Ajax scripting languages were used to implement the application package. Implementation This refers to the development, deployment (installation and testing) of all the system components. This involves the transformation of ideas such as algorithms, flowcharts, programming language used, etc. into real process flow of information. The system operates as follows: A Welcome Screen Form A welcome screen contains major links to other web pages of the application, some information about NDLEA and also the admin sort code where super administrator (head office admin) can type his password to enter into the admin login page.

Fig 2.Welcome Screen Admin Login page/screen- This is where super Admin login to resume his activities using his username and password. REPORTER’ S PROFILE This page shows the details of the most recently reported crime and it is shown in fig.3. It can be accessed only when the admin logs in. The super Administrator can click on action field (view) this table to confirm, reject or make that information public.

133

Vol 6. No. 2, June 2013
African Journal of Computing & ICT © 2013 Afr J Comp & ICT – All Rights Reserved - ISSN 2006-1781 www.ajocict.net

Fig.3: Recently Reported Crime. View Report page – This page shows the details of the reported crime. This page shows all the available crime information reported in the database. You can click on view field to view individual crime record. On home page or any other page that contains the application links, you can select any of the options such as About NDLEA, View Reports (all reported crimes), The crime Report pageThis page is where the reporter fills the details of the crime information to be sent. To send this information, the crime reporter will fill a form called Crime Report Form which has the following fields: reporter’s name, reporter’s email, reporter’s phone, crime state, crime LGA, Crime location and Crime details. Note that fields that are marked asterisk (*) are compulsory to be filled while the rest are optional.

Fig 4. Crime Reports Page

134

Vol 6. No. 2, June 2013
African Journal of Computing & ICT © 2013 Afr J Comp & ICT – All Rights Reserved - ISSN 2006-1781 www.ajocict.net

REFERENCES Other links are Policies (the policies governing the NDLEA can be viewed here). Crime cases (it shows the treated crime cases), achievements (all the achievements made by NDLEA can be viewed), agencies (it shows the working members of NDLEA), Drug Law (the laws regarding to drugs can be viewed), NDLEA Blacklist (it shows the most wanted person by the NDLEA and other similar cases).

4.

5. 4. CONCLUSION The aim of this research work was achieved by a successful design and implementation of an NDLEA realtime crime information system. This web application enables an informant to instantly communicate NDLEA as soon as crime related to them is detected. From this research, it was observed that there is a strong relationship between drug use and crime, especially the violent crime associated with crack cocaine, it is also noted that these drug users not only suffer physical, social and economic problems themselves, rather they impose many direct and indirect costs on society. It thereby contributes to social disorganization and disintegration. This system when applied properly will to a large extent bridge the communication gap between the agency and the general public which in turn results in reducing the rate and adverse effect of crime in our society. 5. RECOMMENDATION To ensure the effectiveness of the result of this application, some recommendations become inevitable: 1. No single body can solve the illicit drug problem. Collaboration of government agencies, corporate body and the general public is needed. We should all sincerely join hands to fight this societal disorganizer. There is strength in unity, and confronting the menace individually is in fact a waste of time and a lost battle. 2. A parallel effort by Governments to show transparency in their actions against drugs trafficking and to gain solid public trust is paramount. For instance, NDLEA officers should not engage in bribery and must be fair to their judgment so that people will appreciate them and fill happy to join and fight crime. So, without public support and trust, all efforts will fail. 3. Government should provide adequate funding to NDLEA just like in any other respectable programme to enable them to carry out their plan of Action effectively and efficiently. [2]

6.

The necessary technologies must be made available. For example, intelligence gathering and analysis is at the heart of detection and interdiction. This requires the use of the latest technology in satellite surveillance and secure data transmission. Another example is the latest container scanning equipment which allows detection of drugs and other illegal shipments within unopened containers. This is a powerful tool as a deterrent to would be traffickers Adequate and pertinent training is a prerequisite to efficient intervention in combating the trade in illegal drugs. In law enforcement, forensics, rehabilitation, money laundering, information technology, etc…, personnel who do not have the necessary skills cannot win the fight they are engaged in. The programmes set in place are only as good as the people involved in them. If the persons cannot cope, then all the planning and equipment in the world won’t make much difference. Qualified, educated and dedicated people are what make everything work. That is the bottom line.

REFERENCES [1] Abdullahi S.(2009) Drug Trafficking and its Impact on West Africa retrieved from http://www.giaba.org/media/f/231_09Effects_ Of_Drug_Trafficking_For__Parliamentaria ns,_09-comrs.pdf accessed on 06/12/12. Baninyi, M. (2008) Pardigms, Pathologies and Practicalities- policing organized crime in England and Wales, Policing, 2 (1) 63-73. Published in National Guidance 2008. Commonwealth (2013) National Crime Information Center retrieved from http://www.mass.gov/eopss/law-enforce-andcj/cjis/national-crime-information-centerncic.html accessed on 06/12/12. Diane L. and, James L. (2003) ILLEGAL DRUGS AND DRUG TRAFFICKING retrieved from http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchP ublications/bp435- e.htm accessed on 25/12/12

[3]

[4]

135

Vol 6. No. 2, June 2013
African Journal of Computing & ICT © 2013 Afr J Comp & ICT – All Rights Reserved - ISSN 2006-1781 www.ajocict.net

[5]

Free Student Project (2012), Crime Information Management System retrieved from http://www.freestudentprojects.com/studentproj ectreport/projectreport/crime-informationmanagement-system/ accessed on 06/12/12 General Assembly of the United Nations (2012): Thematic Debate of the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Drugs and Crime as a Threat to Development On the occasion of the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/66/Issues/dr ugs/drugs-crime.shtml accessed on 06/12/12 George W. B. (2002) The President's National Drug Control Strategy retrieved from http://georgewbushwhitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/0 2/20020212-2.html Gyong J. E. and Tanimu B. (2010) A Sociological Assessment of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (Ndlea) Strategies of Arrest and Detention in Nigeria retrieved from http://maxwellsci.com/print/crjss/v2-127132.pdf (journal) accessed on 24/12/12 Information Sharing Environment (2012) Law Enforcement Information Sharing retrieved from http://www.ise.gov/law-enforcementinformation-sharing accessed on 05/12/12 Kiirya G. D. (2007) A Prosecutions Management Information System (PMIS): A Case of the Uganda’s Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) retrieved from dspace.mak.ac.ug/.../3/kiirya-geoffrey-davidcit-masters-report.pdf accessed on 05/12/12 Montaldo C. (2013) What Is a Crime retrieved from http://crime.about.com/od/Crime_101/a/WhatIs-A-Crime.html accessed on 05/12/12 National Crime Prevention Strategy(1996), National Crime Prevention Strategy: Summary retrieved from http://www.info.gov.za/otherdocs/1996/crime1. htm accessed on 0612/12 National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (2011). Brief History of Nigeria’s CounterNarcotic Efforts. Retrieved from http://www.ndlea.gov.ng/v1/?q=content/history accessed on 06/12/12
136

[14]

Public Agenda (2011) Issue Guides: Illegal Drugs-Consider the Choices retrieved from http://www.publicagenda.org/citizen/issueguide s/illegal-drugs/considerchoices accessed on 2512/12 Tim W. and Tivani W. (2006), Root Causes of Illicit Drug and Alcohol Problems in Minority Communities in Northern Thailand, and the Shan State of Myanma retrieved from http://www.diakonia.se/documents/public/resul ts_and_highlights/annex_diakonia_thailan d_report_jan_2007.pdf accessed on 06/12/12 United Nations Office on drug and crime (2013), Drug trafficking http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drugtrafficking/index.html accessed on 06/12/12UNRISD (1994) UNRISD Briefing Paper No. 2 World Summit For Social Development http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/(h ttpAuxPages)/4C3D0BE90FAD550480256B64 00419B57/$file/bp2.pdf accessed on 05/12/12

[15] [6]

[16]

[7]

[17]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]