An internal dispute has erupted within the police establishment over who developed an awareness mobile application for the public to report kidnapped people, missing persons and property.
The smart phone app was recently launched by AIGP Asan Kasigye, who is also the Chief Commissar of Police.
He said that the app is primarily expected to enable members of the public get easy access to police stations in case of emergencies in their areas.
Row
However, shortly after the launch a junior police operative skilled in ICT (names withheld) claims a top officer is being credited for something he didn’t develop.
He accuses ASP Obah Musinguzi, the head of Geographic Information System in the ICT department of hijacking the application and claiming ownership.
“I came up with this idea because the force has no technological means of collecting information or feedback freely from the public,” a seemingly frustrated junior officer told this website.
Adding that, “other than walking to a police station there should be a prompt way of law enforcement to receive timely information about crimes taking place in real time.”
Against that backdrop and using IT knowledge, the officer last year developed the app and named it Crime Preventer Mobile Application.
On January 21, 2017, TrumpetNews published a story titled Police Unveil Crime Preventer Mobile App.
Whereas this website didn’t mention the developer, it was reported that, “according to the App’s designer it has a number of functions once opened like report crime, traffic police, police leadership, nearby stations, suspect, public notes/alerts and of course your account.”
Read https://trumpetnews.co.ug/2017/01/21/police-unveil-crime-preventer-mobile-app/
The officer says those who aver to have created this application however, did not change the wording of the text of the original app.
Asked if he has raised complaints to his senior particularly the police director of ICT, he said, “yes” but doubted action will be taken.
It is reported that ASP Obah took the application to an IT firm NewLine Technologies for further development.
Efforts to reach ASP Obah for a comment were unsuccessful by press time.
