Exploring the perception of forensic science among police investigators in Nigeria: The role of sociodemographic markers
| Date | 01 September 2021 |
| DOI | 10.1177/14613557211019761 |
| Published date | 01 September 2021 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Exploring the perception of forensic science
among police investigators in Nigeria: The
role of sociodemographic markers
Zakariyya M. Sarki
(Forensic Science Programme,) Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia
Geshina Ayu Mat Saat
(Forensic Science Programme,) Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia
Abstract
Underlining the applica tion of forensic science me thods in police investigat ions is investigators’ p erceptions of the
methods. The premise is that a positive perception indicates a willingness to apply forensic science in criminal
investigations, regardl ess of prior forensic traini ng. This study compared comm on sociodemographic marke rs with
regard to perceptions of forensic science application in criminal investigations among investigating poli ce officers in
Nigeria, controlling for forensic training. The six sociodemographic markers were: gender, age, marital status, highest
educational qualification, rank, and years in service. The survey used a self-administered questionnaire for data collection.
Based on a total population of 3771 investigating police officers, a sample size of 347 was determined using Krejcie and
Morgan’s formula (Krejcie RV and Morgan DW (1970) Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and
Psychological Measurement 30(3): 607–610). A potential 20% dropout rate was added giving a sample size of 416. No
difference was found across the sociodemographic markers with regards to the perception of forensic science utilization
in criminal investigations (p> .05), except for the highest educational qualification (p¼.008) and rank (p¼.042) of the
respondents. The perception score was higher in the primary school category than in the secondary school and diploma
certificate categories. Comparison between the categories secondary certificate and degree/HND certificate indicated a
statistically significant lower perception score in the secondary certificate category. The perception score was lower in
the diploma category than in the degree/HND certificate and postgraduate categories. For police rank, pairwise
comparison showed that the officer category had a higher perception score than the constable category. There was
also a statistically significant higher perception of forensic science among inspectors than among constables. It is
recommended that educational qualification and rank should be considered when deploying police personnel to the
criminal investigation department.
Keywords
Sociodemographic markers, police perception, Nigeria Police, police investigators, perception of forensic science, forensic
investigation, criminal investigation
Submitted 11 Apr 2020, Revise received 10 Nov 2020, accepted 21 Apr 2021
Introduction
Forensic science is a systematic approach to the examina-
tion, treatment, and interpretation of material evidence from
a scientific perspective with due consideration given to legal
requirements (Leung, 2006). Forensic science comprises a
Corresponding author:
Zakariyya M. Sarki, Universiti Sains Malaysia , USM Health Campus, School
of Health Science, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
Email: zakariyyasarki@fud.edu.ng
International Journalof
Police Science & Management
ªThe Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/14613557211019761
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2021, Vol. 23(3) 265–278
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