Forensic Fingerprints: An Evidential Clue for Police Officers in Forensic Investigation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Fingerprints being an individual trait make humans different from one another and perform an important role in criminal investigation. Within the broader field of forensic science; fingerprint is a specialized area and important biological evidence which is scientifically examined by fingerprint experts in the forensic lab in both criminal and civil cases to compare and match the disputed fingerprints with the suspected ones. This study was carried out to explore the value of forensic fingerprints as an evidential clue in criminal investigation. This qualitative research was carried out by using a sample size of 25 respondents of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Department in which 15 police investigation officers were selected through convenience sampling technique and 10 fingerprints experts belonging to Forensic Science Laboratory, (FSL) Peshawar and Regional FSL of Swat through simple random sampling technique. The primary data from all the respondents was collected through interviews. Research findings revealed that the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) is not fully operational in the province due to the unavailability of advanced software; FSL Peshawar searcher hall contains more than five hundred thousand manual records of convicted criminals. The police department doesn’t have direct access to NADRA fingerprint records in a criminal case. Other problems include a lack of proper training on fingerprints; contamination of fingerprints by the public; lack of chemicals and powders at police station level to develop the latent prints on crime scene etc. Lastly, experts in fingerprints sections of forensic labs are not academically sound which affects their service delivery in perusing the analysis of fingerprints in a criminal case.