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This research is concerned with the value of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) as a technique in the identification of suspects. A problem was identified in the withdrawal of cases where suspects had been identified by means of fingerprints. The study attempted to determine the value of AFIS in the identification of suspects, to find new knowledge that could improve the situation and suggest ways to apply this knowledge to enhance the performance of AFIS experts, criminal investigators and the prosecution in a court of law. The study adopted a multi-method approach to data collection, with the researcher using a literature review, docket analysis and interviews with AFIS experts from Limpopo Province as his sources of data. The results of the study showed that AFIS is a valuable system for the identification of fingerprints in that it is fast and accurate but that in South Africa AFIS experts encounter a number of challenges with the system. The main challenges identified were the potential for the system to be attacked by computer hackers; the slowness of creating an SAPS 69 record, particularly when dealing with prints of poor quality; which leads to cases being closed where AFIS experts’ evidence is not tested/accepted; and the fact that in South Africa AFIS is not applied across government departments, which would allow a more comprehensive database. On the basis of these findings, the study recommends that steps be taken to improve the quality of prints taken at crime scenes, that attention be paid to speeding up the process of dealing with the relevant SAPS 69 records, that investigators and prosecutors be informed about the AFIS process and that the AFIS database be extended to include the fingerprints of all South Africans and immigrants to the country. Lastly, the study suggests that the databases of government departments such as Home Affairs, Public Works Roads & Transport and Safety Security & Liaison (Traffics) be combined to form one national database. / Police Practice / M. Tech. (Forensic Investigation)

Thesis ( M. Tech. (Business Administration )) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2014 / Fast and secure public service delivery is not only a necessity, but a compulsory endeavour. However, it is close to impossible to achieve such objectives without the use of Information Technology (IT). It is correspondingly important to find proper sustainability frameworks of technology. Organisations do not only need technology for efficient public service; the constant upgrading of systems and cautious migration to the newest IT developments is also equally indispensable in today’s dynamic technological world. Conversely, countries in Africa are always lagging behind in technological progresses. Such deficiencies have been identified in the passport processing of Lesotho and South Africa, where to unequal extents, problems related to systems of passport production have contributed to delays and have become fertile grounds for corrupt practices. The study seeks to identify the main impediments in the adoption of Management Information Systems (MIS) for passport processing. Furthermore, the study explores the impact MIS might have in attempting to combat long queues and to avoid long waiting periods – from application to issuance of passports to citizens. The reasonable time frame between passport application and issuance, and specific passport management systems, have been extensively discussed along with various strategies that have been adopted by some of the world’s first movers in modern passport management technologies. In all cases and stages of this research, Lesotho and South Africa are compared. The research approach of the study was descriptive and explorative in nature. As a quantitative design, a structured questionnaire was used to solicit responses in Lesotho and South Africa. It was established that both Lesotho and South Africa have somewhat similar problems – although, to a greater extent, Lesotho needs much more urgent attention. Although the processes of South Africa need to be improved, the Republic releases a passport much faster and more efficiently than Lesotho. Economic issues are also revealed by the study as unavoidable factors that always affect technological developments in Africa. The study reveals that the latest MIS for passport processing has facilitated modern, automated border-control systems and resultant e-passports that incorporate more biometric information of citizens to passports – thanks to modern RFID technologies. One can anticipate that this study will provide simple, affordable and secure IT solutions for passport processing. Key words: Information Technology (IT); Management Information Systems (MIS); E-Government; E-Passport; Biometrics; and RFID.

The globalisation process that drives the progression and trans-national nature of crime requires that the police should use sophisticated and/or state-of-the art technologies to help them to combat criminality. The use of technology by the police is thus viewed as one of the appropriate responses to deal with the threats posed by crime. In an attempt to ascertain the significance of technology in police work, this research examined the impact that the use of biometric technology such as the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, has had on the quality of seiVices rendered by the South African Police Service. Following the police's task of identifying criminal fingerprints, the problem encountered in this research was that, ever since the introduction of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, no research had been conducted to assess the impact thereof on the level and quality of seiVices rendered by the South African Police SeiVice. This problem was further intensified by the fact that there was no framework to assess the impact that the utilisation of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System has had on police work in South Africa. Consequently, the problems that were identified in this research compromised not only the quality of seiVices rendered by the police, but also the safety and security within communities. The findings in this research showed that the utilisation of biometric technologies such as the Automated Fingerprint Identification System have helped the police to accurately identify and arrest criminal suspects. However, some of the conclusions reached suggested that the quantitative aspect of the utilisation of biometric systems and the elated portable apparatuses within the South African Police Service was emphasised more than the qualitative aspect thereof. The emphasis was evident in the statistics regarding the use of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, which focused primarily on police productivity and to a lesser degree on accountability related issues. This study espoused a qualitative paradigm and the investigations in the research were focused on the East Rand policing precinct. The participants who informed this research were selected from the research population using random and purposive sampling techniques. In the same way, the data that informed this research was collected using semi-structured interviews and an in-depth review of the literature on policing and its utilisation of the different technologies. The research espoused social constructivism and phenomenology as the philosophical worldviews of choice to form constructivist phenomenology and to attain theoretical triangulation. Moreover, evaluation research and a case study were espoused as the research designs of choice, to attain methodological triangulation. The various triangulation techniques espoused in this research project were critical in attaining quality assurance in terms of the research methodology applied. In the same way, a myriad of qualitative techniques such as dependability, transferability, confimability and credibility were also employed in order to ensure that the integrity of the data that was collected in this study remained intact. Finally, the data that was collected to inform this research was analysed using the qualitative content analysis technique. Similarly, the measures taken to ensure that the safety of the research participants was delineated in this same research report. / Police Practice / M. Tech. (Police Science)

<p>A trend in natural science and especially in analytical chemistry is the increasing need for analysis of a large number of complex samples with low analyte concentrations. Biological samples (urine, blood, plasma, cerebral spinal fluid, tissue etc.) are often suitable for analysis with liquid separation mass spectrometry (LS-MS), resulting in two-way data tables (time vs. m/z). Such biological 'fingerprints' taken for all samples in a study correspond to a large amount of data. Detailed characterization requires a high sampling rate in combination with high mass resolution and wide mass range, which presents a challenge in data handling and exploration. This thesis describes methods for managing and exploring large data sets made up of such detailed 'fingerprints' (represented as data matrices). </p><p>The methods were implemented as scripts and functions in Matlab, a wide-spread environment for matrix manipulations. A single-file structure to hold the imported data facilitated both easy access and fast manipulation. Routines for baseline removal and noise reduction were intended to reduce the amount of data without loosing relevant information. A tool for visualizing and exploring single runs was also included. When comparing two or more 'fingerprints' they usually have to be aligned due to unintended shifts in analyte positions in time and m/z. A PCA-like multivariate method proved to be less sensitive to such shifts, and an ANOVA implementation made it easier to find systematic differences within the data sets.</p><p>The above strategies and methods were applied to complex samples such as plasma, protein digests, and urine. The field of application included urine profiling (paracetamole intake; beverage effects), peptide mapping (different digestion protocols) and search for potential biomarkers (appendicitis diagnosis) . The influence of the experimental factors was visualized by PCA score plots as well as clustering diagrams (dendrograms).</p>

A trend in natural science and especially in analytical chemistry is the increasing need for analysis of a large number of complex samples with low analyte concentrations. Biological samples (urine, blood, plasma, cerebral spinal fluid, tissue etc.) are often suitable for analysis with liquid separation mass spectrometry (LS-MS), resulting in two-way data tables (time vs. m/z). Such biological 'fingerprints' taken for all samples in a study correspond to a large amount of data. Detailed characterization requires a high sampling rate in combination with high mass resolution and wide mass range, which presents a challenge in data handling and exploration. This thesis describes methods for managing and exploring large data sets made up of such detailed 'fingerprints' (represented as data matrices). The methods were implemented as scripts and functions in Matlab, a wide-spread environment for matrix manipulations. A single-file structure to hold the imported data facilitated both easy access and fast manipulation. Routines for baseline removal and noise reduction were intended to reduce the amount of data without loosing relevant information. A tool for visualizing and exploring single runs was also included. When comparing two or more 'fingerprints' they usually have to be aligned due to unintended shifts in analyte positions in time and m/z. A PCA-like multivariate method proved to be less sensitive to such shifts, and an ANOVA implementation made it easier to find systematic differences within the data sets. The above strategies and methods were applied to complex samples such as plasma, protein digests, and urine. The field of application included urine profiling (paracetamole intake; beverage effects), peptide mapping (different digestion protocols) and search for potential biomarkers (appendicitis diagnosis) . The influence of the experimental factors was visualized by PCA score plots as well as clustering diagrams (dendrograms).

Nesta dissertação são analisados métodos de localização baseados na rede, com destaque para os métodos de correlação de assinaturas de rádio-frequência (DCM - Database Correlation Methods). Métodos baseados na rede não requerem modificações nos terminais móveis (MS - Mobile Stations), sendo portanto capazes de estimar a localização de MS legados, i.e., sem suporte específico a posicionamento. Esta característica, associada a alta disponibilidade e precisão dos métodos DCM, torna-os candidatos viáveis para diversas aplicações baseadas em posição, e em particular para a localização de chamadas para números de emergência - polícia, defesa civil, corpo de bombeiros, etc. - originadas de telefones móveis celulares. Duas técnicas para diminuição do tempo médio para produção de uma estimativa de posição são formuladas: a filtragem determinística e a busca otimizada utilizando algoritmos genéticos. Uma modificação é realizada nas funções de avaliação utilizadas em métodos DCM, inserindo um fator representando a inacurácia intrínseca às medidas de nível de sinal realizadas pelos MS. As modificações propostas são avaliadas experimentalmente em redes de telefonia móvel celular de segunda e terceira gerações em ambientes urbanos e suburbanos, assim como em redes locais sem fio em ambiente indoor. A viabilidade da utilização de bancos de dados de correlação (CDB - Correlation Database) construídos a partir de modelagem de propagação é analisada, bem como o efeito da calibração de modelos de propagação empíricos na precisão de métodos DCM. Um dos métodos DCM propostos, utilizando um CDB calibrado, teve um desempenho superior ao de vários outros métodos DCM publicados na literatura, atingindo em área urbana a precisão exigida dos métodos baseados na rede pela regulamentação FCC (Federal Communications Commission) para o serviço E911 (Enhanced 911 ). / This work analyzes network based positioning methods, in particular the fingerprinting or database correlation methods. Network based methods do not require mobile station upgrading or replacement, thereby being capable of locating legacy mobile stations, i.e., without any specific positioning related features. This characteristic, coupled with the high availability and precision of fingerprinting methods, make them viable candidates for several location based applications, especially for the positioning of cellular mobile phones originating emergency calls - for police, fire brigade, etc. Two techniques to reduce the average positioning fix time are proposed: deterministic filtering and genetic algorithms optimized search. A modification is proposed in database correlation methods evaluation functions, by inserting a factor representing the inherent inaccuracy in the signal strength measurement made by the mobile station. The proposed improvements are experimentally evaluated in second and third generation cellular networks in urban and suburban environments, as well as in indoor wireless local area networks. The viability of using correlation databases built from propagation modeling is evaluated, as well as the effect of empirical propagation models calibration in the fingerprinting location precision. One of the proposed fingerprinting techniques, using a calibrated correlation database, achieved a performance superior to several other published fingerprinting methods, reaching in an urban area the precision requirements set by the Federal Communications Commission for network based methods providing the Enhanced 911 emergency location service.

Nesta dissertação são analisados métodos de localização baseados na rede, com destaque para os métodos de correlação de assinaturas de rádio-frequência (DCM - Database Correlation Methods). Métodos baseados na rede não requerem modificações nos terminais móveis (MS - Mobile Stations), sendo portanto capazes de estimar a localização de MS legados, i.e., sem suporte específico a posicionamento. Esta característica, associada a alta disponibilidade e precisão dos métodos DCM, torna-os candidatos viáveis para diversas aplicações baseadas em posição, e em particular para a localização de chamadas para números de emergência - polícia, defesa civil, corpo de bombeiros, etc. - originadas de telefones móveis celulares. Duas técnicas para diminuição do tempo médio para produção de uma estimativa de posição são formuladas: a filtragem determinística e a busca otimizada utilizando algoritmos genéticos. Uma modificação é realizada nas funções de avaliação utilizadas em métodos DCM, inserindo um fator representando a inacurácia intrínseca às medidas de nível de sinal realizadas pelos MS. As modificações propostas são avaliadas experimentalmente em redes de telefonia móvel celular de segunda e terceira gerações em ambientes urbanos e suburbanos, assim como em redes locais sem fio em ambiente indoor. A viabilidade da utilização de bancos de dados de correlação (CDB - Correlation Database) construídos a partir de modelagem de propagação é analisada, bem como o efeito da calibração de modelos de propagação empíricos na precisão de métodos DCM. Um dos métodos DCM propostos, utilizando um CDB calibrado, teve um desempenho superior ao de vários outros métodos DCM publicados na literatura, atingindo em área urbana a precisão exigida dos métodos baseados na rede pela regulamentação FCC (Federal Communications Commission) para o serviço E911 (Enhanced 911 ). / This work analyzes network based positioning methods, in particular the fingerprinting or database correlation methods. Network based methods do not require mobile station upgrading or replacement, thereby being capable of locating legacy mobile stations, i.e., without any specific positioning related features. This characteristic, coupled with the high availability and precision of fingerprinting methods, make them viable candidates for several location based applications, especially for the positioning of cellular mobile phones originating emergency calls - for police, fire brigade, etc. Two techniques to reduce the average positioning fix time are proposed: deterministic filtering and genetic algorithms optimized search. A modification is proposed in database correlation methods evaluation functions, by inserting a factor representing the inherent inaccuracy in the signal strength measurement made by the mobile station. The proposed improvements are experimentally evaluated in second and third generation cellular networks in urban and suburban environments, as well as in indoor wireless local area networks. The viability of using correlation databases built from propagation modeling is evaluated, as well as the effect of empirical propagation models calibration in the fingerprinting location precision. One of the proposed fingerprinting techniques, using a calibrated correlation database, achieved a performance superior to several other published fingerprinting methods, reaching in an urban area the precision requirements set by the Federal Communications Commission for network based methods providing the Enhanced 911 emergency location service.

Forensic science has a significant historical and contemporary relationship with the criminal justice system. It is a relationship between two disciplines whose origins stem from different backgrounds. It is trite that effective communication assist in resolving underlying problems in any given context. However, a lack of communication continues to characterise the intersection between law and science. As recently as 2019, a six-part symposium on the use of forensic science in the criminal justice system again posed the question on how the justice system could ensure the reliability of forensic science evidence presented during trials. As the law demands finality, science is always evolving and can never be considered finite or final. Legal systems do not always adapt to the nature of scientific knowledge, and are not willing to abandon finality when that scientific knowledge shifts. Advocacy plays an important role in the promotion of forensic science, particularly advocacy to the broader scientific community for financial support, much needed research and more testing. However, despite its important function, advocacy should not be conflated with science. The foundation of advocacy is a cause; whereas the foundation of science is fact. The objective of this research was to conduct a qualitative literature review of the field of forensic science; to identify gaps in the knowledge of forensic science and its integration in the criminal justice system. The literature review will provide researchers within the field of forensic science with suggested research topics requiring further examination and research. To achieve its objective, the study critically analysed the historical development of, and evaluated the use of forensic science evidence in legal systems generally, including its role regarding the admissibility or inadmissibility of the evidence in the courtroom. In conclusion, it was determined that the breadth of forensic scientific knowledge is comprehensive but scattered. The foundational underpinning of the four disciplines, discussed in this dissertation, has been put to the legal test on countless occasions. Some gaps still remain that require further research in order to strengthen the foundation of the disciplines. Human influence will always be present in examinations and interpretations and will lean towards subjective decision making. / Jurisprudence / D. Phil.

The globalisation process that drives the progression and trans-national nature of crime requires that the police should use sophisticated and/or state-of-the art technologies to help them to combat criminality. The use of technology by the police is thus viewed as one of the appropriate responses to deal with the threats posed by crime. In an attempt to ascertain the significance of technology in police work, this research examined the impact that the use of biometric technology such as the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, has had on the quality of seiVices rendered by the South African Police Service. Following the police's task of identifying criminal fingerprints, the problem encountered in this research was that, ever since the introduction of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, no research had been conducted to assess the impact thereof on the level and quality of seiVices rendered by the South African Police SeiVice. This problem was further intensified by the fact that there was no framework to assess the impact that the utilisation of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System has had on police work in South Africa. Consequently, the problems that were identified in this research compromised not only the quality of seiVices rendered by the police, but also the safety and security within communities. The findings in this research showed that the utilisation of biometric technologies such as the Automated Fingerprint Identification System have helped the police to accurately identify and arrest criminal suspects. However, some of the conclusions reached suggested that the quantitative aspect of the utilisation of biometric systems and the elated portable apparatuses within the South African Police Service was emphasised more than the qualitative aspect thereof. The emphasis was evident in the statistics regarding the use of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, which focused primarily on police productivity and to a lesser degree on accountability related issues. This study espoused a qualitative paradigm and the investigations in the research were focused on the East Rand policing precinct. The participants who informed this research were selected from the research population using random and purposive sampling techniques. In the same way, the data that informed this research was collected using semi-structured interviews and an in-depth review of the literature on policing and its utilisation of the different technologies. The research espoused social constructivism and phenomenology as the philosophical worldviews of choice to form constructivist phenomenology and to attain theoretical triangulation. Moreover, evaluation research and a case study were espoused as the research designs of choice, to attain methodological triangulation. The various triangulation techniques espoused in this research project were critical in attaining quality assurance in terms of the research methodology applied. In the same way, a myriad of qualitative techniques such as dependability, transferability, confimability and credibility were also employed in order to ensure that the integrity of the data that was collected in this study remained intact. Finally, the data that was collected to inform this research was analysed using the qualitative content analysis technique. Similarly, the measures taken to ensure that the safety of the research participants was delineated in this same research report. / Police Practice / M. Tech. (Police Science)