In an exclusive interview with Capital FM News on Wednesday, Police Spokesman Charles Owino hailed the system as revolutionary saying the course for justice stand to be streamlined/CFM NEWS
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 9 – Tales of documents in the hands of the police getting lost may be a thing of the past once the National Police Service Information Management System is fully operational.
Such incidents have been common in the past and might derail the quest for justice.
The Information Management System is an ambitious government initiative meant to among other things move police records from analogue to digital.
In an exclusive interview with Capital FM News on Wednesday, Police Spokesman Charles Owino hailed the system as revolutionary saying the course for justice stand to be streamlined.
“Documents can be lost either intentionally or not,” Owino said.
He, however, noted that the system too can be prone to such vices but has assured Kenyans that a backup system will be established, just in case someone decides to remove say incriminating data.
“With the system, one will not need to physically verify a simple item. For example, if the Inspector General wants something from Marsabit or Moyale Police Stations will not require to call. He will just get into the system and get the information he wants,” he asserted.
“It will make work easier, ensure records are safe…it is a very important aspect in policing.”
Already, personal records of police officers are being captured on a biometric database in an exercise launched by Interior CS Fred Matiangi in Kwale County this week.
“We want to digitize all our systems and we have already started with the human resource department,” Owino said.
In the future, Owino said, the system will allow Kenyans to report cases at the comfort of their phones with top cops accessing an occurrence book online to ensure action is taken and justice served.
What if the system is hacked and sensitive information accessed by criminals?
It is a question that begs with any stride towards digitization, but Owino said they are wary of such, saying mechanisms are set to be put in place to seal any loophole that may emerge.
“We are a security institution and our first concern is the safety of information,” he said.
The initiative is being implemented by the police service in conjunction with the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
– About the Information Management System –
It will digitize the police Occurrence Book.
It will bear accurate, real-time data on each officer, including his or her recruitment, training, career progress, deployment, family records, and other related information.
According to CS Matiangi, “This is the first time that such a record has been created within the service’s history. We believe that it will infuse accountability, efficiency, honesty, and professionalism amongst our officers.”
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