AIM:

To impart knowledge to members on the importance of proper criminal

records management in the organisation’s combat against crime.

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the presentation members should able to :

1. Define the term Criminal Records Management without reference to
notes
2. Outline the role of the Criminal Records Office according to the
given notes.
3. Identify sources of the criminal records and nature of information
required as per lecture.
4. Describe the process of collecting, collation, analysis, carding and
indexing of criminal information.
5. Outline requirements for compilation and cancellation of police
gazettes
INTRODUCTION
It has been observed with immense concern that the main function of
Criminal Records Office countrywide has been neglected to deplorable
levels. It is not given the crucial attention and significance it warrants and
deserves. This has a great impact on criminal information needed by
detectives, investigating officers and the Organisation as a whole on
investigation of crimes or criminal activities.

DEFINITIONS

CRIMINAL RECORDS MANAGEMENT

Is the process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the
collection, collation, analysis, storage, retrieval and dissemination of
information pertaining to law breakers and their backgrounds in crime
commission.

KEY WORDS
CRIMINAL
Collins English dictionary gives the meaning of, criminal, as a “ crook,
convict, lawbreaker, an offender….”

RECORD
Collins English dictionary gives the meaning as, “ an account, chronicle,
diary, file, register, background….”
MANAGEMENT
Is defined by James A.F Stoner and R Edward Freeman (1989:3) in their
book MANAGEMENT: fourth Edition as:
“ The process of planning, organizing, leading and controlling the work of
organisation members and of using available organizational resources to
reach stated organizational goals.”

PROCESS
A process is always a well-organised, methodical and sequential
(systematic) activity.

IMPORTANCE OF CRIMINAL RECORDS OFFICE

-Criminal Records Office is the nerve center of criminal intelligence. In
other words it is the reservoir of criminal data.
-The Success of criminal investigation depends on the vibrancy,
accessibility, accuracy and up to date of criminal information stored there
in.
-Criminal records are the foundation upon which criminal intelligence can
be built.
-A properly maintained Criminal Records Office will provide information
on who commits what crimes, where, when, how and the current
whereabouts of such criminals.
-The Criminal Records Office collects, collates, analyse, store and
disseminate criminal information.
-The Criminal Records Office is the first pot of call in crime investigations
and provides leads regarding possible suspects. It helps narrow down the
angle of investigations.
NATURE OF INFORMATION IN THE CRO DATA BANK
-Convictions
-Name index
-Modus Operandi index (M.O Index)
-Area index
-Street index
-Wanted persons index( Police Gazette)
-Stolen Property Index (169)
-Prisoner’s release files
-Photo albums
-Crime syndicates files
-CBD files
-HQ files
-Stores files
-Crime matrix

CONVICTIONS
-The Criminal Records Office is mandated to log all convictions in their
database.
-Unless correct and accurate information is submitted to Criminal Records
Office from In-Charge Stations no meaningful criminal data bank.
-Every member of the Organisation needs to know the correct flow of
criminal information Local police station - Local CRO-Provincial
CRO/Regional CRO-National CRO and CCB office for national storage.
-It is of paramount importance that court details, investigations details,
Officers-In Charge and CRO personnel should know the correct flow of
criminal information to and from the National CRO.
-Sources of information for carding convictions are dockets, certified
fingerprints, court extracts and Z69J copies e.t.c
-NB. At times complete dockets are destroyed with crucial information,
which should have been communicated to CRO for record purposes.

CARDING CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS

Carding is the process of transferring relevant information from a source
document to a specially designed card, which will then be filed using either
the name indexing system or the identity card number indexing system.

NAME INDEXING SYSTEM

Is a filing system in which the ZRP forms 293 are filed using the
alphabetical order of surnames followed by first names. When people are
carded properly and consistently, this enables the stations and the
organisation at large to maintain a database of those who are into criminal
activities. Where previous convictions are required, these can be provided
without difficulties as the information would be on record and can be
accessed easily.

INDENTITY CARD NUMBER INDEXING

Is a filing system in which the cards are filed in the ascending order of
identity card numbers. This supports and supplements the name index in
terms of ensuring security of information. Thus, if a card is pulled out of
 the name index, the person can still be identified using the identity card
number index and vice versa.

MODUS OPERANDI (M.O), STREET INDEX AND AREA INDEX

After attending a scene of crime, an investigating officer should check with
the local CRO’s M.O index, Street index and Area index to establish and
analyse suspect linked to the commission of the crime in question.
Criminal have areas of operation and methods of committing crimes,
which suggests leads to possible suspects, hence the narrowing of areas of
search.

M.O INDEX
EXAMPLE
M.O INDEX: UNLAWFUL ENTRY AND THEFT( DUPLICATE KEY)
INDEX FULL DATE/DAY/TIME PLACE OF TARGET ACCOMPLICES REFS:
PARTICULARS OF OCCURANCE PROPERTY 293,
NUMBER ACCUSED 294,
PHOTO,
CR,
DR,
INDICES,
 NB The sources of information for building of the MO index are
fingerprints and dockets.
STREET /AREA INDEX
EXAMPLE
STREET INDEX: JULIUS NYERERE WAY
INDEX FULL DATE/DAY/TIME PHYSICAL OFFENCE REFS:
NUMBER PARTICULARS ADDRESS 293,
OF ACCUSED 294,
PHOTO,
CR,
DR,
INDICES,

NB The sources of information are fingerprints and dockets

CBD FILES
-A CBD holder is a person who has been convicted of two or more
offences.
-The CBD file should contain fingerprints of convict, a ZRP form 125 and
a running diary.
-CBD Holders should be checked at least once a month.
-CBD files should be opened immediately as soon as the record of a
second conviction is availed.
HQ FILES
These are opened and kept in the stores section of the CRO.
-They contain serious cases of interest by individuals or syndicates.
-Duplicate files can be made for serious cases of interest and for obvious
reasons should be kept separately.
-They are also opened in respect of Companies dealing in precious stones
and those engaged in security activities.
-They should be numbered consecutively through out the year and are
carded on forms 293 and filed in the main index.

STORES FILES
They are opened in respect of Z69 J forms received, court extracts, notices
of prohibited immigrants and syndicates files. The files in respect of the
said areas are numbered consecutively throughout the year and are carded
on forms 293 and filed in the main index.

CARDING OF STOLEN/LOST PROPERTY

When people make reports of their stolen or lost properties, it is an
investigation requirement that they give the description and serial numbers
of the properties concerned.
-Whilst crime statistics show that unlawful entry and theft cases and
general theft of property cases are on the increase, on the contrary the
number of forms 169 property being submitted for carding has been
decreasing.
-The carding of property is in itself an aid to investigation in that when
people are found in possession of property they can not account for
satisfactorily, a check with criminal records office should reveal the true
owner in the event that the property concerned was stolen property and has
been reported so.
-Many a time crime syndicates are busted and properties of various
descriptions are recovered but the police is unable to trace the property to
the rightful owners because we have departed from the norm of carding
property.
-The carding can be done using serial numbers and putting the property
into different categories e.g. Televisions, Sawing machines.

HOW TO DO IT
-Forms 169 property received from investigating officers are checked for
all the relevant details, most importantly the serial numbers.
-Motor vehicles, cycles and firearms are also carded locally but should be
referred to specialist sections i.e vehicles to Vehicle Theft Squad, cycles to
CID Cycles, firearms to CFR.
-Local CROs can card even those properties without serial numbers and for
that reason they can make use of trays subdivided into types of properties
e.g television, sawing machines.
-Typed cards showing serial number, description of property, name of
complainant, date stolen and date carded are then filed accordingly.
-The forms 169 with serial numbers are as soon as possible transmitted to
the NCRO or carding and are returned marked “ Carded” For cancellation
of recovered property, the form 169 property cancellation section is
completed and forwarded through usual channel and the relevant cards are
pulled and destroyed.
POLICE GAZETTES
The Zimbabwe Republic Police Gazette is an official publication of the
force for the dissemination of important criminal information and other
information of like import and shall be maintained on files as a permanent
record at all stations.
-Gazettes are published periodically and are compiled under he following
headings:

SPECIAL INFORMATION

APPREHENSION SOUGHT

INFORMATION SOUGHT

MISSING PERSONS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (persons in

custody who are wanted elsewhere,
Cancellations.)
SUPPLEMENT TO THE GAZETTE

1. SUPPLEMENT A-Annual review of outstanding gazette entries of

up to five years prior to the date of publication. Has the effect of
canceling previous entries.
2. PRISINER’S RELEASE FILES (SUPPLEMENT B)
-This is the monthly list of discharges from the prisons serving six or
more months who are likely to continue with criminal activities.
-Returns from O.I.C prisons are used and are received via the C.I.U.

NB. The Gazette will be compiled at the discretion of O.C CID.

SUBMITTING INFORMATION FOR PUBLICATION OF THE

GAZETTE

FORMS 170
_ to be completed in triplicate when information is required for publication
of the gazette or carding at CRO.
-When information is accepted for publication a copy is returned to station
of origin marked “ ACCEPTED FOR GAZETTE’ and endorsed with
gazette entry number.
-Forms 170 should be accompanied by fingerprints of wanted persons
where possible and with all particulars of wanted persons.
-Where no fingerprints are attached, forms 170 should be marked, “NO
FINGERPRINTS.”
-They should contain the CR. Reference, offence committed, details of the
officer issuing the warrant of apprehension, value involved, place and date
of occurrence.

CANCELLATION OF THE GAZETTE

-O.I.C or member In-Charge should initiate the cancellation of the Gazette
entries after cases have been finalized.
-The prerogative to cancel the Gazette rests with the station, which caused
the accused to be a subject of a gazette entry.
-Forms 170 marked, “ ACCEPTED FOR GAZETTE” should be completed
at the back and sent to HQ CRO for cancellation of the gazette upon arrest
of the accused, death of accused or destruction of the docket.

NB. Many a time the CRO during the process of vetting, identify wanted
persons cared with it and as a norm sent signals to respective stations to
arrest accused persons and clear these cases. By the same signal, the
stations are advised to forward forms 170 for cancellations of Gazette in
respect of arrested subjects. Regrettably of the piles and piles of signals
sent out to stations in the above regard, no response has been received. It
would appear stations will only have an accused person carded to have the
docket closed and do not the interest to revisit and reopen cases upon
receipt of information pertaining to the whereabouts of the gazette subject.

-At certain instances when the gazette subjects brings his or her prints for
vetting the CRO arrest such persons and on trying to verify position of the
case with the station concerned, they are told the case was finalized a long
 time ago either the accused appeared before the court or the docket was
destroyed

-The inconveniences some of these subjects are made to suffer are not in
keeping with the organization’s bid to turn professional.

CRIME MATRIX
-A closer analysis of tabulated data relating to the commission of various
crimes will help intelligence officers to correlate or link particular crimes
as having been committed by a particular individual or syndicate.
-A crime matrix is important in that after the correlation process a number
of cases can be soled at once, as they would have been linked to a
particular group of suspects.

CRIME MATRIX
REF DATE& OFFENCE PLACE ACCUSED VICTIM AGE M.O PROPERTY
 TIME &
DESCRIP.
4/8/09 1/8/09 ROBBERY CAMERON UK MOYO 65YRS USED ISUZU
2200hRS FLYOVER 4 MALES (FEMALE) PISTOL TWINCAB
10/8/09 4/8/09 ROBBERY KOPJE UK CHAUKE 22YRS USED CLOTHING,
1830hRS AREA 6 MALES (MALE) KNIFE CASH
15/8/09 20/08/09 ROBBERY CAMERON/ UK NCUBE 54YRS USED ISUZU
2230HRS ALBION 4MALES (FEMALE) PISTOL TWIN CAB
23/8/09 29/8/09 ROBBERY KOPJE UK SHUMBA 30YRS USED GROCERY,
1900HRS AREA 6 MALES (MALE) KNIFE CASH

LINKAGE
-The linkage or correlation process entails grouping together those crimes
which show a pattern, similarity or relationship in terms of , nature of
offence, time and place of occurrence, modus operandi used, target group,
type of property targeted.
- After analysis of the above matrix the analyst should then indicate that
linkages have been established in terms of D.R. or C.R. references: C.R
4/8/09 and 15/08/09, C.R 10,08,09 and 23/08/09

REASONS FOR THE LINKAGE

-The analyst should give reasons for linking the outlined crimes, e.g.
commonalities, patterns, or similarities have been established in terms of
the method of operation that was used, the weapon that was used, the
targeted property e.t.c.
POSSIBLE SUSPECTS
-The analyst should move further to indicate possible suspects with the aid
information stored in the Criminal Records Office.

JUSTIFICATION FOR POSSIBLE SUSPECTS

-The analyst should lastly justify why he is picking a person as a possible
suspect to show the validity of his/her argument.
For example where John Moyo has been indicated as the possible suspect,
the justification could be:
-John Moyo is known to specialize in committing unlawful entry and theft
cases.
-He is know to effect entry via the roof as was done in the cases in
question
-He targets Televisions, which similarly were stolen in the cited cases
-When John Moyo was away in prison for the past seven years there was a
lapse in crimes of this nature.
- John Moyo was released only a month ago and since then there has been
a sudden upsurge in crimes of that nature.

NB. The linkage done at station level should be forwarded to the provincial
CRO where a provincial linkage is done and forwarded to the Regional
CRO where a Regional linkage is done before sending it to CID HQ for a
National Linkage.
CONCLUSION
The hallmark of a professional organisation is its ability to be effective and
efficient in the manner it responds to its call for duty. It follows therefore
that the maintenance of up to date records is a calling we can ill afford to
ignore it we are to give effect to our endeavors of turning professional.