Website to report crime is launched

A computerised system to help Kenyans report crime to the police was launched on Thursday.

It will enable the public to take pictures or video clips and post them anonymously to a website.

This is in addition to two hotlines where the public can call and ask for police help or report crime. The numbers are 999 and 112. The website is www.usalamawatch.go.ke.

Those who can take pictures can also upload one video or one photo, with a storage capacity of up to one gigabyte (1 GB), at a time.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku said that the website guaranteed security and confidentiality.

"This is not to substitute the existing security measures put in place. It is part of the security call centre and is meant to complement other reporting avenues,” said Mr Lenku.

The website is backed by a call centre manned by officers from the National Police Service, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the military. It is based at the Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo’s Jogoo House office.

Mr Lenku said officers manning the system will act on any reported incident immediately.

TEAM'S EFFORT

“The officers manning the site will immediately alert the nearest police station,” he said.

Mr Lenku chaired the inter-ministerial security systems committee that is driving the adoption of technology in the fight against crime.

The team’s head of the technical section, Dr Bitange Ndemo, a former Information and Communication PS, added that all the information received would be analysed to guide other policies in crime prevention.

Mr Lenku was accompanied by Mr Kimaiyo, NIS boss Michael Gichangi, and Interior Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo.