Police officers train to use Crimes Info Management System
There has been no shortage of burglaries and robberies lately, and with each passing day the criminals are becoming more inventive and daring. The critical Harold Crooks report made it clear that the police department was lacking in many areas including investigations. Well, the department has been working on improving its investigative techniques by adapting the use of internationally renowned computer software. The Crimes Information Management System is a modern database application that will greatly assist officers to solve their cases. But before officers learn to use the Memex software, they have to learn to use the computer. Inaldi Cardona, one of the five computer specialists, has been training eighteen officers over the past few days at the Yabra Community Policing Unit.
Inaldi Cardona, Web Content Manager, Police Dept.
“The computer course we’re starting them with is basic knowledge of hardware. We want them to learn to use the equipment that they will be using. We want them to know what part of the hardware the computer, how to turn it on, what’s the mouse, what’s the keyboard. So we’re basically taking them from scratch; from not knowing anything about the computer to actually getting informed about the computer hardware, from hardware within them to applications they will be using; mostly Microsoft Office applications. Then from there we want to take them into basic knowledge of the application that we built for them in the I.T. Unit. So we created a basic application that they can use internally to enable communication, transfer of files and information.”
Marielou Smith, Communication Control Center
“It’s free for one, and it will make us or give us a broader idea about the internet system and so forth. Where I work it will help us a lot to know the criminals and so forth. So we don’t have computers there yet but it will be helpful.”
Inaldi Cardona
“It is used around the world and we’re one the first in the Caribbean to implement it. Basically, it is a database that will store every criminal record, whether you just came in and a police report was made on you, whether we collected your fingerprint. Your fingerprint will be collected, your picture, your personal data, what crimes you’ve committed, a whole collection of all the records that we have in the department and on a daily basis. This is something that we will implement nationwide to enable a quick search of police records.”
Corporal James Mossiah, Ladyville Police Station
“This training has been helpful so far and it is the second time I have been doing computer training. I’ve enjoyed it so far.”
Jose Sanchez
“When it comes to the crime management system, how will that help you with your police work?”
Cpl. James Mossiah
“That will help me in that we’re learning that if there is a person that is wanted in, for example, in Orange Walk, due to the training with the computers we could easily facilitate, get that person’s photograph and easily send that photograph to Punta Gorda or any part of the country through the computer system.”
Inaldi Cardona
“With the crimes information management system, we’d be able to track criminals anywhere. So if you appear in P.G. and you’re loitering and you created a crime in Orange Walk, the P.G. police will then check on your name, check who you are and they will know what crime you’ve committed and if you’re wanted. So they’ll be able to track you, and say “Okay you’re a known thief so we need to keep an eye on you.”
Jose Sanchez
“It will help with arrests?”
Cpl. James Mossiah
“Well in that case yes they help a lot because if you have a use of the computers we have a way, a mode of operating, it will help us further to foster to apprehend wanted persons.”
The training for this group ends on Friday, however the program is expected to be rolled out nationally over the next few months. Memex software databases and analysis applications are used by approximately twenty-five percent of the United Kingdom’s police force and a number of United States federal agencies use the system to counter terrorism.
