Reginald Ferguson, acting commissioner of police, commended the pioneers who were instrumental in bringing the initiative to fruition and said he himself looks forward to using the online service.
"In keeping with strategic goals of information technology outlined in my recently launched policy statement, it is my view that once more, we are taking a step in the right direction by continuously improving our product," said Mr. Ferguson.
"The launch of this online facility speaks volumes of the partnership between the government and the police force to not only enhance the method by which the issuance of police character certificates are made to its citizenry, but demonstrates our level of commitment in respect of the reduction of crime within our nation."
Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest shared similar sentiments.
"The Government of The Bahamas has committed itself to keeping the Royal Bahamas Police Force on the cutting edge of technology. Today’s official launching of the Criminal Records Office online character certificate request system confirms that we are keeping the commitment we made," said Minister Turnquest.
The service permits Bahamians and non-Bahamians who are living or have lived in The Bahamas to use the Internet to apply for a police certificate.
"They may do so from the comfort of their own home, the office or from a range of smart computer devices," he said.
"This is a system that will reduce the number of trips a person applying for a character certificate needs to make to the Criminal Records Office, from two to three before, to one now."
Wayde Watson, deputy national coordinator of Information Technology at the Ministry of Finance, said the process is an interactive one.
"This is an interactive application where rather than going to the police Criminal Records Office (CRO), making the application and being told to come back, you can go online, complete the application, submit the application and it goes directly to the Criminal Records Office by e-mail," he said.
Once the application is received, an automatic e-mail is sent back to the applicant.
"The person will then be told when they can come and collect the certificate, which eliminates the need to go to the CRO twice anymore. This gives you the opportunity to select which police station is nearest to you that you would like to collect the application from," he said.
"There is also an opportunity to access the form in comfort."
Mr. Watson also gave an assurance that the system is secure from hackers.
"The system is very secure, especially with the sensitive information that will be received so we tested it and made sure that not just any person can access the internal system and get individualized information off of it," he said.
Minister Turnquest appeared excited about the launch of the new service.
"The launch of the police character certificate system is a source of personal satisfaction for me," he said. "I am an ardent advocate for e-government, making life easier for the public which we serve.
"The issuance of police character certificates has, for decades, been a major and distinguishing activity of the Criminal Records Office. I have been assured that the online system has been carefully crafted to build on the office’s past activities while meeting the current needs of the Criminal Records Office and the public at home and abroad."
During the launch, there was also a coordinated telecast with divisional officers from Grand Bahama, Exuma, Eleuthera and Abaco.
The service can be accessed at www.bahamas.gov.bs; click on forms and then go to police character certificate.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Sasha L. Lightbourne
Quelle/Source: The Bahama Journal, 11.04.2008
