Final page of station diaries
JCF already making use of newer technologies to record reports
COMMISSIONER OF Police George Quallo has indicated that the police force is moving much closer to doing away with the old practice of recording reports and statements in station diaries.
The commissioner was the guest speaker at yesterday’s opening ceremony of the 15th National Geographic Information Systems Day Exposition at the University of the West Indies in St Andrew.
He pinpointed plans for increasing efficiency within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) through greater usage of technology.
Quallo highlighted that some units within the force had already begun using advanced computerised systems.
“For close to two centuries, the Jamaica Constabulary Force has been using station diaries. I am happy to announce today that in a very short time, that will be a thing of the past as we modernise our operations.
CHANGES TAKING PLACE
“The recent upgrading of our police emergency communication centre has seen the removal of big books for logging reports into an advanced computer network system that uses mapping technology to geo-locate incidents, based on information provided by callers,” Quallo said.
He accepted the reality that criminals have access to the newest technologies available, and as a result, are more elusive in their criminal activities. But he gave the assurance that changes were taking place.
“A big part of our problem in crime fighting is the slow pace of modernising the JCF as opposed to how quickly criminals make use of technology to commit crimes,” Quallo said. “As a consequence, the communications, forensic, and cybercrimes unit has been using some of the most advanced technology to help in the fight. As the primary law enforcement agency, we are always looking for better ways to cauterise crime, especially in areas deemed hotspots. But the truth is that hotspots are constantly changing,” he added.