As Rankuke Training Institute looks ahead towards its third Annual Graduation Ceremony in December, the institution poses the question, what exactly is forensic investigation and is it a skill of the future?

If you have been accused of a crime or have been a victim, the most effective way to clear your name is to allow a professionally unbiased source to gather all relevant evidence to support your assertions. Evidence obtained by a certified investigator is not only reliable but will stand up to a court’s scrutiny.

Let’s first address what is forensic science and forensic investigation. Forensic science is a critical element of the criminal justice system. Forensic scientists examine and analyse evidence from crime scenes and elsewhere to develop objective findings that will assist in the investigation and prosecution of crime or absolve an innocent person from suspicion. Forensic is the scientific method used to solve a crime.

When you first see or hear the phrase forensic investigations, what comes to mind for most if not all are images of scientists performing blood or DNA tests using samples from the scene of a crime.

However, a forensic investigation does not necessarily have to be completed in the context of a criminal investigation and may not necessarily involve blood or DNA.

Forensic investigation is the art of gathering and analysing all related evidence to establish who, what, when, where, and how. Investigators may look at blood, fluid, fingerprints, residues, hard drives, computers, or other technology to establish exactly what took place.

This is a general definition, though, since there are several different types of forensics. With the above said, there are many types of forensic investigations ranging from computer or cyber forensics, forensic accounting/auditing, crime scene forensics, forensic psychology, or mobile forensics just to name a few.

This skill set can get you jobs in government regulatory agencies like anti-corruption and revenue collection, law enforcement, auditing/accounting firms, security firms, cooperative societies, consulting firms, banks, and insurance or universities.

One way of becoming a forensic expert is by studying the Certified Forensic Investigation Professional (CFIP)/Certified Forensic Investigation Audit Professional (CFIAP) where one will learn criminology and psychology, principles and practice of accounting, computer and digital forensics, fraud auditing and forensic accounting, criminal investigations, studies on fraud and corruption, investigation law and investigative accounting.

By acquiring these skills the qualified investigator can venture into private/public criminal investigations, fraud/corruption investigations, forensic accounting/audit investigations, tracing of hidden assets, money laundering investigations, expert witness, risk/preventive controls, and systems audits.

Forensic investigation is the art of gathering

and analysing all related evidence to establish who, what, when, where,

and how.