Why it will take shorter time to get police help after contacting command centre

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinet during a meeting with Police Commanders from the entire country at the Kenya School Of Government in Nairobi. [PHOTO:WILBERFORCE OKWIRI/STANDARD]

The time taken by the police to respond to distress calls is expected to reduce following steps taken by the authorities.

The National Police Service has employed 280 personnel from the National Youth Service to serve as call takers at the Communication Command and Control Centre.

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said the group would enhance communication between the public and the authorities, hence response would be faster.

The police have a communication command and control centre that is manned on a 24-hour basis.

“The public is encouraged to always call and alert us on issues happening within their areas. We will respond to them,” he said.

All the emergency calls, including 999, 112 and 911 from the country, are received within this command centre and then they are dispatched to the various officers in the field depending on the issue that has been brought up by a caller.

The police department has seen a change in terms of response so far since the centre started operations.

System upgraded

The development comes at a time when authorities are upgrading the Integrated Command and Control system to enable officers identify motorists driving on major roads covered by CCTV cameras.

A Japanese company has upgraded the system to incorporate facial recognition capability. Boinnet said this would help in fast and accurate identification of suspects.

The more than 1,800 cameras have been capturing only number plates of cars.

Those managing the centre are able to pursue a blacklisted vehicle.

Since May 2015, when the centre became operational, to last December, the police have blacklisted over 1,800 stolen vehicles and have recovered 720 vehicles.

There are two sets of cameras in this city. Those that are under the IC3 system and the cameras that were installed by the Metropolitan ministry.

Francis Gachina, an official at the centre, said at night, the cameras depend on street lighting.

The CCTV system, built by Safaricom at a cost of Sh14.9 billion, was to improve the National Police Service’s operational efficiency by deploying new hardware using up-to-date technology.

The IC3 system, according to the police, has reduced crime in three major cities in the country.