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Police starts digitization of records

FILE PHOTO: Inspector General of Police J.M Okoth Ochola

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Police Force has started digitalization of criminal records to reduce incidents of case file disappearance and misplacement during and after investigations.

Criminal Investigations Director (CID) Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP), Grace Akullo, explains that Criminal Record Management System (CRMS) will not only reduce incidents of case file misplacement but also reduce on detectives’ workload.

Akullo said detectives have been finding difficulties in handling numerous case files manually and would sometimes become too bulky for them. She also says that due to the many cases a single detective handles, it would result into misplacement of files at the time they are needed in court or for further investigations.

According to Akullo, CRMS will enable detectives keep tabs of cases under investigation or being tried in court even when they are transferred from one workstation to another.

Police argue that manual record keeping has been hectic and some cases would drag on once a detective is transferred from one station to another.

CID records for the last four years indicate more than 25,000 cases sent to court were dismissed due to lack of substantive evidence.

On average 6250 cases were dismissed each year, which represents 17 cases a day. These included sexual offenses such as defilement, sexual harassment and rape. Others include fraud, robbery, burglary and murders. According to police records, 2017 registered the highest number of cases dismissed with 9,613, followed by 2015 with 8,646 cases and 2016 and 2018 with 4000 cases each year.

Police says manual files also risk getting torn, destroyed as they are piled on one another, or can be destroyed by cockroaches, rats but could also be lost in case fire catches a station.

Akullo adds CRMS system will enable detectives follow up cases regardless of where they are and there will be no more excuse of that ‘I am a new detective at this station’ because investigators will be accessing records by a click of a mouse.

CID boss says CRMS is being spearheaded by Police’s Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) directorate led by Commissioner of Police (CP) Felix Baryamwisaki in collaboration with detectives from CID.

CRMS process has already been kick-started in Kampala Metropolitan area that covers Kampala City, Wakiso and Mukono district.

ICT teams are also in Elgon region that covers among other districts Mbale, Manafwa, Bududa and Sironko.  Akullo says after Kampala and Mbale, CRMS will be extended to Masaka and Mbarara.

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