Police needs Sh15billion to set up criminal identification systems

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Police are planning to construct a 15-billion-shilling Criminal Automated Identification System abbreviated as CABIS in order to simplify investigation of serial criminals.

The proposal to construct CABIS interlinked to each of the major district and division policing areas is contained in a document prepared by police force’s director of operations AIGP Edward Osiru Ochom.

Ochom indicates each policing division will need 95 million shillings to establish CABIS. Police records indicate there are 161 policing division across the country and this means 15 billion and two hundred ninety-five million shillings will be spent on the project.

Police believes CABIS will be vital in supplementing the works of National Closed Circuity Television Command Centre and Directorate of Forensic Science which have been built at Naguru police headquarters.

“These forensic capabilities will now require adequate resourcing to maintain their intended output, the CABIS system will need to be rolled out countrywide in all the 161 policing districts/divisions at a cost of UGX95M per policing district/division,” reads Ochom’s document.

The force elaborates that 15 billion includes acquisition of the ‘live scan’ and set up of prerequisite work environment. Other things Ochom says need to be budgeted for include consumables for the forensic DNA capabilities.

Uganda Radio Network understands that CABIS have already been established in some of the policing divisions such as Kampala Central Police Station, Natete police station and Entebbe police stations.

In other police stations such as Jinja CPS, Masaka CPS and Mbarara CPS including Katwe, Old Kampala Kawempe and Naggalama CABIS works are ongoing.

Ochom indicates in divisions especially in KMP where CABIS has been established positive results have already been registered.

“The system is already generating useful information that will enable the police to keep track of the repeat offenders as well as inform our partners in the administration of justice on the criminal history of suspects in their jurisdiction,” Ochom states.

National CCTV Command Centre, Directorate of Forensic Science and CABIS are all part of the process to transform Uganda police force from analog policing to digital also known modernized policing.

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