20,000 police records digitised in Fred Matiang'i's revamp plan

Inspector-General Joseph Boinnet with Internal CS Fred Matiang'i and other officers during the opening of the training for assistant IGs at the National Police Service Senior Staff College in Loresho, Nairobi, January 28, 2019. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Dr Matiang'i said the National Police Service was collaborating with the Information, Communication and Technology ministry for full modernisation.
  • ICT CS Joe Mucheru the NPS and the ministry will digitise occurrence books at all police stations and have a centralised database so as to ease the flow of information.

Twenty thousand police officers have been registered biometrically as part of the ongoing modernisation of the service, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i said on Monday.

Dr Matiang'i said the National Police Service was collaborating with the Information, Communication and Technology ministry for full modernisation.

The CS told senior police officers that they have to embrace the structural and functional changes being implemented by the NPS in order to realise reforms and secure the country in support of the Big Four Agenda.

The agenda by President Uhuru Kenyatta covers affordable housing, universal health coverage, food security and manufacturing.

SOPHISTICATED

The CS further told the senior officers realise that the service had changed in accordance with the Constitution and asked them to engage the public in the fight against crime.

"You have to realise that policing has changed. Crimes have become sophisticated so it is challenging to fight them. We have to think differently in the fight against crime," he said.

"Most of the community-based organisations, faith-based organisations and other entities have ideas and understand communities better than police so we have to work with them," he said.

He addressed regional police commanders during the opening of their first leadership development course at the National Police Service Senior Staff College, Loresho Campus.

ICT PLANS

ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru the NPS and the ministry will digitise occurrence books at all police stations and have a centralised database so as to ease the flow of information.

"We also want to roll out fibre connectivity and WiFi as part of the digitisation of the stations," Mr Mucheru said.

"Regional commanders must therefore be technology savvy and have smart phones in order to receive materials such as videos, pictures and files that may ease investigations."

The development course will last two weeks. Participants include 14 assistant inspector generals of police (AIGs) 8 of whom are Regional Commanders recently appointed. It forms part of the ongoing Police reorganization that seeks to enhance accountability to remove wastage in the police service.