Police upgrades Digital Crime Records System

KAMPALA, UGANDA: The Information and Communication Technology Directorate of the Uganda Police Force, has finalized the upgrade of the Digital Crime Record Management system-CRMS and is ready to roll it out.

In 2013, Uganda Police Force embarked on the process of migrating from the manual system, which was based on the movement of copies of hard files to the digital storage system. The digital system was pioneered in the Kampala Metropolitan areas in 2017.

However, it suffered a setback when record officers at different police stations complained that the system was difficult to use. The Police Advisory Committee-PAC then directed the ICT Directorate to upgrade the system.

Now speaking to journalists at the ICT Research, Development and Innovation Center in Kikandwa in Wakiso district, Allan Nshimiye Rugayampuzi, the Public Relations Officer of the Directorate said that their experts have made several changes to this system and made it more user friendly by any record officer.

“The top leadership directed the Director of ICT, Commissioner Yusuf Ssewanyana to inform his team to make some changes and upgrades of CRMS. Now the system is ready to be rolled out if the top policy organ accept it this time. It has been tested in Kampala and we’re soon testing it in other stations upcountry. After that, PAC shall form a policy that will roll it out,” Rugayampuzi said.

The decision to move from the manual crime record management system to the digital system is partly meant to stop the loss of case files at police stations. Currently, police have one records officer per station that is in charge of case files.

As a result, detectives keep the files of the cases they are handling. Rugayampuzi says the rollout of the digital system will do away with the challenge of disappearing case files.

Rugayampuzi says that their ICT experts are also developing another digital system for fleet management that will help monitor the movement of police vehicles, boats, motorcycles and helicopters.

The Directorate has called on innovators and university students with the necessary skills that can help eliminate crime to partner with the force. “If you have an idea you reach out to Naguru head office of ICT and you will be cleared to come to Kikandwa and interact with our scientists,” Rugayampuzi said.