Nyore Madzianike
Senior Reporter
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has begun piloting a digital crime reporting system developed by the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), with Warren Park Police Station among the stations testing the system.
The system, which is part of the Government’s wider drive to digitalise police operations, will also provide a platform through which members of the public can report crimes using their mobile phones.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe told the National Assembly during the question-and-answer session that the digitalisation programme was being implemented under the Ministry’s integrated ICT strategy.
“Yes, we do have a programme that we are running, that we are seized with, that of digitalising all our systems in the police force,” he said.
Minister Kazembe said his ministry developed an integrated ICT strategy covering key departments, including immigration, civil registration and the police.
“We do have, I remember speaking about it some time ago, the Ministry of Home Affairs integrated ICT strategy that we are pursuing and from that stems a system for immigration, which is the online border management system, a system for civil registry and a system for the police,” he said.
“For the police, we do have what is called the ZRP Integrated Information System. That system also has some subsystems, including crime management, which is what the Hon. Member is asking about.”
The Government has already begun implementing the system, with electronic traffic management having been deployed while crime management is currently being tested.
“We have already started that project, and also within that integrated solution is the electronic traffic management, which we have already deployed. Crime management, we have already piloted it,” he said.
Minister Kazembe said the crime management system developed by Harare Institute of Technology was currently being tested as a proof of concept at Warren Park and other police stations.
“We do have a system that was developed by the Harare Institute of Technology, which we are now running as a proof of concept,” he said.
“This has been deployed at Warren Park Police Station and a couple of other police stations. We are trying to see how it works.”
The planned system is expected to make it easier for members of the public to report crimes by allowing them to use their mobile phones.
“This will come with a platform as well, where people can report crimes on their phones. They just open the platform, and then they report,” he said.
The minister said the pilot project was still being assessed and wider deployment would follow once Government was satisfied with its performance.
“So, this is a system that is already being tested, Madam Speaker, maybe as I am speaking right now,” he said.
“After the proof of concept has been seen to be working, we will then deploy it elsewhere. So, it is work in progress.”
