Africa-Press – Uganda. Residents of Muyenga-Bukasa in Kampala have agreed to let the police connect into their private CCTV cameras to access footage in case of a criminal act in the area.
Speaking at the official launch of the programme in Kampala yesterday, the deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, said the move is aimed at reducing the rate of crime in the area and improving security.
He said the government does not have enough funding to install cameras on every corner and junction in the country.
Maj Gen Katsigazi encouraged LC1 chairpersons to register new members in their communities for security purposes.
“We thank residents of Muyenga for allowing this to happen. We want people who can help us and allow us to tap into their cameras and you have answered this call, and we are very happy. We call upon others in this country, especially in urban areas to do so,” he said.
Maj Gen Katsigazi urged Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to make a law that compels building owners to install cameras and security lights on their buildings.
“People only put lights in their shops and don’t put lights outside the shop, which is not safe,” he said.
He added: “We are appealing to the government to make cameras affordable. Reduce taxes on them or remove taxes from cameras, so that each one of us can afford a camera. They are a bit expensive now because of taxes and we are going to talk to the authorities above so that everyone is encouraged to have a camera.”
Mr Yasin Omar, the LC2 chairperson of Bukasa Ward in Muyenga, said: “We are launching cooperation between the public and the police in Muyenga in the use of CCTV cameras. The public should work with the police by giving them footage and information in case a crime occurs.”
Mr Omar said when residents provide authorities with footage of crime, it eases the work of finding the criminals.
He said the method has worked before and many criminals have been caught.
“Ever since we started using CCTV cameras and community policing to curb crime in Muyenga, the number of crimes registered have reduced from 125 cases per month to 25 cases per month,” Mr Omar said.
CCTV PROJECT
The government has embarked on the third phase of the National CCTV Network Expansion Project aimed at strengthening the national grid amid a recent spike in crime.
This publication has learnt that the third phase of the project will involve the connection of both private and government surveillance cameras to the national grid. The grid will also be augmented by satellite pictures, which Mr Yusuf Ssewanyana, the director of Information, Computer and Technology at the Uganda Police Force, believes will plug gaps in the national CCTV network that rogue elements have exploited in recent times.
There are mounting fears over the growing failures of the national CCTV network that saw the government take out a $104 million (Shs382 billion) loan in 2018.
The government promised that the surveillance project would ease the gathering of intelligence. This would in turn unlock crime puzzles that threatened to be fiendishly complex.
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