The Information and Communication Technology Directorate-ICT of the Uganda Police Force has boasted of how Security Closed Circuit Television-CCTV cameras have played a major role in fighting crime.
Allan Nshimiye Rugayampuzi, the Public Relations Officer of the Directorate, says with over 5000 cameras strategically placed across the country, it has become easier to arrest criminals.
Currently there are over 5,552 CCTV cameras installed country-wide with with 3,233 in the Kampala Metropolitan area.
Nshimiye says they were able to use the automatic number plate recognition-ANPR cameras, facial recognition cameras and intelligent video system to successfully investigate and capture criminals.
‘’We have 600 cases where people have been convicted relying on CCTV footage and our analysts are always present to testify in the different courts of law throughout the country.’’
He explains that most of these crimes involved aggravated robberies, murders, kidnaps, human trafficking and car thefts to vehicles that sometimes interfere with the presidential convoy among others.
He says for car crimes any vehicle involved is blacklisted before they a search is conducted.
He has however warned persons who don’t believe that the cameras are available to be aware .
‘’Some of our cameras are not visible to the human eye you may not see a camera at a certain point but they are there .so some of you who are in doubt that the cameras do not work,you will be shocked if ypu think that you are going to use this opportunity to commit crime and get away with it.’’’
He has appealed to Ugandans to protect the security CCTV infrastructure, saying that it was installed for their protection.
