With the ongoing broad modernization of the National Police Service under President William Ruto’s administration, the government is set to launch a new mobile app that will allow citizens to report crimes directly to the police.

The Interior Principal Secretary (PS) Raymond Omollo has revealed that the mobile app will play a major role in handling traffic offences and will be transformed into a new digital case reporting system.

Speaking during an interview with Ramogi FM on Tuesday night, PS Omollo said that the initiative targets to get hold of traffic officers and motorists who gang up to manipulate traffic books and Occurrence Book (OB) records.

To reinforce the creadibility of the system, the government has also put in place measures of expanding the CCTV coverage to capture any ongoing criminal activities across major highways and roads.

“We recognize CCTVs as an important tool in public security and are expanding their use, alongside streetlights installation in both urban and rural areas”, said the PS.

However, Omollo did not offer a timeline for when to expect the mobile app or clarify how it will differ from the one introduced last year by the National Crime Research Centre but he assured that the government has the plans underway, marking a shift from the traditional handwritten OB used in most stations.

The PS also noted that the strained relationship between the police and citizens is on the verge of being mended.

“The recent surveys under the ‘jukwaa la usalama’ initiative being led by the interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, shows that seven out of ten citizens are satisfied with police officers, which is a slight improvement,” PS Omollo noted.

In 2013, a mobile phone app was launched by the National Police Service, based on SMS and call reporting through the 999999 line to enable citizens to report offences to the police. The project however did not work and so, this will mark the second attempt by the police to make crime reporting digital.