APPROXIMATELY 22 police stations across the island are now utilising the Station Records Management System (SRMS), allowing citizens to make real time reports to the police.

The system, which helps in the reduction of time to make applications for certain permits, was designed and introduced to organise police data in electronic format, and to facilitate electronic recording of reports, complaints, and administrative entries by cops.

“This is one of the most important transformations that we have embarked on. It is assisting us in transitioning from a lot of our paper-based records to using an electronic system and connecting stations islandwide,” said head of the Special Projects Department at the National Police College of Jamaica at Twickenham Park, St Catherine, Sergeant Shermaine Hassock.

Hassack, who is in charge of the SRMS project, told
JIS News that several stations are being outfitted with computers, and personnel are being trained to use the system, which is “an ongoing activity”.

She pointed out that a huge advantage of the system is that it allows someone to make a report in one parish, and if another station in a next parish needs to be part of solving the case, it is no longer inconvenient for the citizen or the police officer to fully access the information.

“Being connected across the island, on a single system, provides opportunity for them [investigating officers] to provide much more efficient service to the citizens. These software and systems are coming with more opportunities and more ways for citizens to reach police officers,” the sergeant said.

She said kiosks are being installed at stations for persons to utilise them for their application for certain services from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), without filling out forms.

“The same kiosk is also provided to citizens to give feedback on the service that they received from police officers,” Hassock said.

The SRMS is also geared at eliminating the use of the ‘big books” that are normally used at police stations to input information manually. Each station across the island usually has 19 of the books to store various data.