Agency launches mobile app for reporting crime

National Crime Research Centre on Tuesday launched a mobile phone App for reporting crime in Kenya.

The new App promises to ensure incidents that usually go unreported are documented and acted upon.

NCRC chief executive officer Gerald Wandera said the bulk of crimes that occur in Kenya, about 70 per cent, are never reported because citizens fear visiting police stations.

“The App will significantly reduce unreported crime, because it has security features that will guarantee the information received will held in confidence and the privacy of those who report crimes will be respected,” he said.

Chairman of NCRC governing council Attorney General Githu Muigai is scheduled to launch the App at his office.

All one needs to report a crime is a smartphone with either Android, Windows or IOS operating system.

Once active, the user clicks to identify him or herself as a “witness” or a “victim” of crime.

Pop ups guide the user through the App so as to give details of an incident, in a simple format.

The data entered is received real time at the NCRC’s data centre, which is monitored round the clock.

Among the tools that make the App vibrant, the user can upload photographs, PDF files and audios as evidence of crime.