The Value of Fingerprint Evidence in Detecting Crime

Abstract

Fingerprints are collected routinely from crime scenes for a wide range of offences and their timely identification is now seen as key to their success in the investigation and detection of crime. In this study, a logistical regression analysis of fingerprint identifications for the volume crime offences of residential burglary, commercial burglary and theft of motor vehicle in Northamptonshire, UK over a three-year period has revealed a number of predictors, other than timeliness, that influence greatly whether fingerprint identifications result in the detection of crime. The results indicate that a number of these predictors are of statistical significance and may be just as relevant in determining whether a fingerprint identification successfully detects the crime as the timeliness of the fingerprint identification. The most significant predictor was found to be investigating police officer accreditation, with fingerprint location and mobility also being relevant. Accreditation of the Crime Scene Examiner recovering the fingerprints and whether DNA material from the crime scene was also identified were found not to be significant. Consideration is given to where further emphasis is needed by the UK police service to maximise the opportunities to detect volume crime with fingerprints.