Regional Police Commander CP Obura Deo has directed the territorial police command of North Kyoga Region to conduct an inspection of all public and private premises to assess CCTV usage. This follows terror threats across Kampala Metropolitan Policing areas and some upcountry districts, mainly regional cities.
The ICT Directorate has also dispatched a CCTV technical team to join the regional team to inspect designated public and private premises, such as key government installations, transport terminals, worship centers, recreation facilities, restaurants, bars and nightclubs/pubs, markets, fuel stations, supermarkets, schools, and hospitals, among others. Okema explained that this is to strengthen all stakeholders on best CCTV practices to counter terror threats and ensure alertness.
Secondly, Okema said to enhance partnerships with stakeholders to leverage on social camera connections to police cameras to support investigations.
Advice to stakeholders:
- Set up CCTV monitoring rooms that are manned on a 24/7 basis.
- Also noteworthy is the installation of a communication system in the CCTV monitoring room.
- Install a CCTV system that automatically records incidents and retains them for at least 3 months (90 days of storage capacity).
- Installation of access control alongside CCTV cameras is key.
- Okema added that this is to ensure proper camera placement for better coverage.
- Lastly, check the camera status on a daily basis.
SP Okema Jimmy said that, as police, curbing crime in our areas remains a collective responsibility, as enshrined in Article 212 and 17 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, which defines the mandate of the Uganda Police Force and the duties of a citizen of Uganda, respectively.
“We, therefore, request the proprietors of private and government institutions to cooperate with the police at all times and endeavour to report any suspicious items or persons in their areas of business or residence to security for a quick response,” Okema said.