A blockchain-based CCTV data verification framework for Uganda police force: a case study of Kampala metropolitan area
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Date
2025-10-23
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Muni University
Abstract
The deployment of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems is increasingly critical to enhancing public safety and crime investigations worldwide. In Uganda, despite significant investments by the Uganda Police Force (UPF) in the Kampala Metropolitan Area, existing CCTV systems face major challenges related to centralized data storage vulnerabilities, including risks of tampering, unauthorized access, and data manipulation. These challenges undermine the evidentiary integrity of surveillance footage, negatively impacting judicial processes and public trust in law enforcement. This study aimed to design and implement a Blockchain-based CCTV data verification framework to address these issues by securing and authenticating surveillance footage. Guided by the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), the research involved identifying current challenges and designing a Blockchain-based Framework using Multichain Blockchain technology. This framework was developed to include smart contracts for automated verification and validated through simulation using a dataset of 35 video footage clips from Kampala Metropolitan. A test of the Blockchain-based CCTV video verification prototype demonstrated its effectiveness, successfully uploading 30 correctly tagged video footages linked to active police case files while accurately rejecting 5 tampered, unreferenced clips. This confirms the system's ability to verify and accept only valid, case-linked footage, enhancing data integrity. The findings also revealed key weaknesses in current CCTV data management: 65% reported unauthorized access, 35% raised concerns about authenticity, trust in existing verification is low (22.5%), 55% rely on manual checks, and 60% lack proper backups. These issues underscore the pressing need for Blockchain verification, automated integrity checks, secure access, and reliable storage to enhance system trust, security, and resilience. This study contributes to the application of Blockchain technology in public sector digital forensics, offering a practical and scalable solution for law enforcement agencies. The findings underscore the potential of Blockchain to enhance data integrity, foster public trust, and streamline criminal investigations. Future research should focus on integrating artificial intelligence-driven video analytics with Blockchain systems, expanding the framework’s applicability to national levels, and addressing regulatory and operational challenges for broader adoption.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the faculty of technoscience in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of master of science in computer science of Muni University
Keywords
Block chain-based CCTV, Data verification, Uganda police force, Kampala metropolitan, Uganda
Citation
Adebo, T. (2025). A block chain-based CCTV data verification framework for Uganda police force: a case study of Kampala metropolitan area (Unpublished graduate dissertation). Muni University, Arua, Uganda