“CCTV cameras are working well”- Police dismisses malfunctioning reports

Police have refuted as untrue, reports that a number of CCTV cameras especially in the greater Kampala Metropolitan Area are no longer working well having been installed not so many years ago.

Media report earlier this week indicated that four in every 10 police CCTV cameras are not functioning, putting the total number in the three districts that make up the Kampala Metropolitan Area of Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso districts to 900.

However, in a statement released on Thursday, Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga dismissed the reports saying they are false and misleading.

“There is no massive malfunction of the devices as alleged in the poorly researched media report,”Enanga said.

He explained that since the launch of the national CCTV project in 2018, a total of 5709 cameras have been installed in 2027 sites around the camera, adding that out of these, 450 have been affected by ongoing road and civil works in “selected” road sections.

He mentioned the road sections in Entebbe, Mukono, Kira, Kawempe, Kampala Flyover, Mpigi, Hoima, Kyenjojo, Gulu, Mbale and Kasese, adding that the  disruptions arose out of failure by  civil works contractors to follow procedures, as well as their failure to conduct sufficient due diligence.

“However, despite the disruptions from the roads and civil works, our experts from the Directorate of ICT have in close coordination with the M/s Huawei Technologies Uganda, the Contractor of the CCTV Project, switched focus to the critical relocation and maintenance of the 450 cameras.  They also continue to constantly monitor the nationwide performance of the CCTV Network operation which stands at 98%.”

“Despite the few challenges, created by civil works, CCTV remains an effective crime-fighting tool, whose expansion into every public space in the country is necessary.  We have deployed IT personnel, with skills to monitor 24/7 the CCTV centers.  In addition, our innovations centre in Kikandwa, is exploring ways of integrating the CCTV network with the DNA and fingerprints database, as well as other relevant Government databases.  This will help ensure opportunities to target violent and persistent criminals are fully explored.”

The police noted that the CCTV cameras have played a very big role in enabling them to monitor spaces, track down criminals, promote awareness in the community and local neighborhoods, dismantle crime hotspots and gang members, increased the ability to solve crimes through hard evidence, improved detection rates and successful prosecution of enabled cases.

“We would also like to reassure the public, that CCTV is not a standalone “magic bullet” in the fight against crime.  It is an anti-crime infrastructure that works best alongside other prevention measures.  Therefore, as our technical teams strive to restore the CCTV cameras, we do continue to proactively monitor, patrol and gather intelligence in areas where the disruptions occurred.”