Adoption of Electronic Policing Services in Crime Control in Nairobi County

Abstract

Electronic policing refers to the use of the Internet to deliver police services to the public. It is the use of the computer (including digital telephony) technologies to deliver police services. Police agencies can be mentioned as among groups that have high usage rates of information technology systems. The main objective of the study was to investigate the factors affecting adoption of electronic policing in crime control and citizen services. This research problem was studied through the use of a descriptive survey design. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the OCS and OCPD of all the 17 police units in Nairobi County. The data collected was edited, coded and classified as per each objective so as to present the results of the data analysis in a systematic and clear way. Data was then subjected to analysis and presented by means of frequency tables and charts. The study concluded that the police adopted electronic identification; police-public interface; centralized information storehouse; radio frequency identification (RFID) and electronic transport (E-Transport) systems. The police further adopted online verification and fingerprints reader; real-time Information access; closed circuit television (CCTV) and intelligent sensors systems in crime control in Nairobi County. The study recommends that the government should provide new information technologies promoting better performance in law enforcement agencies. The study also recommends that the government should look at the structure of police organizations, the characteristics of policing, and the demand of maintaining efficient information processing to enable police to use information technology effectively like in business community. The study further recommends that the government should introduce community policing policy which is perhaps the most familiar term in modern policing which should be variously associated with community policing based on the idea that police should work closely with citizens to cultivate public trust in the police and to better address citizens’ public safety concerns.