We have all heard the saying, "DNA is not the only evidence." While we think that DNA's reliability remains unparalleled, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has shared a useful framework in the article titled "Understanding Forensic Intelligence: The NIJ Framework." This framework demonstrates how just five essential components of an effective forensic intelligence operation can help law enforcement agencies build and refine a system that aligns with their needs and resources.
These Five Pillars of Forensic Intelligence, shown above, illustrate how forensic intelligence works best as part of a comprehensive system. Links between evidence and cases do not appear randomly; investigators uncover these connections when they have systems in place to gather and compare information from a wide range of sources— including forensic laboratory results, police incident reports, and even public health data. Information-sharing systems can vary widely, especially across Africa where systems are basic and can vary from complex intelligence centres to simple weekly meetings between stakeholders. Further, this article shows us that by adopting a forensic intelligence model you do not need to discard existing intelligence strategies. Instead, it shows us how forensic intelligence approaches can be integrated into existing investigation processes without altering the entire workflow of individual cases.
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