President Museveni: Police need only a few effective officers to fight crimes in the country
Police on Monday started a two-day council meeting which ended on Tuesday 19,2019, at Naguru Police Headquarters which President Museveni attended.
Among the key issues discussed includes; contracts for directors which many of them have expired and the directors are still serving in the offices without renewal.
However, at the closing ceremony which President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni attended, he said that Police does not need a huge number of officers for it to fight crimes countrywide.
He referred the Police leadership to the colonial ways in which law and order in various territories were kept with only a few Police officers.
“The British had a simple plan for Police. In my area of Ankole, there was only one Police Station in Mbarara, but at Sub-counties were askaris. The area was big but was being policed through Parish Chiefs and the Sub-County Chiefs. The system worked well. These people (British) were managing a large area through skeleton police, and it worked well,” Museveni said.
Tweet
Museveni advised police heads to only deploy 20 police officers in every 1600 sub-counties to make 32000 officers in total, in rural areas. Among these includes 15 full-time officers in uniform, CIDs and others.
“If you did that and gave each sub-county two motorcycles’, you would need 3200 motorcycles’ and these would be enough because these sub-counties are not big,” Museveni said.
Tweet
However, he said Police should draft a modified plan to handle huge Sub-counties for instance; in the Northern region of Uganda.
Commenting on the issue of congestion in Police cells, President Museveni advised Police to make plans and construct cells in each Sub-county where crime suspects are detained, other than congesting them in one cell.
“We can build 1600 of them in each of the Sub-counties if we plan for it.”
Tweet
Also, President Museveni advised Police heads to scale up ways they use in curbing crimes in urban centres by asking people to use the counter number at each Police Station in case of a criminal attempt and a response force on standby provided, unlike in rural areas where phone usage is scarce.
And working hand in hand with the CCTV cameras installed in different areas.
“You can have the population as your free ears at their own cost. You ask them to call the counter numbers provided and each time they call, there should be a squad of three officers to respond to the incident,” President Museveni said.
Tweet
“We can have like 60.000 officers assisted by machines as a force multiplier, but working effectively, despite having a thin force,” he added.
Tweet
In his further remarks, President Museveni asked Police heads to at least construct a Secondary School in each Sub-county offering free education services to Police children, to easy their work.
Nevertheless, the Police Director in Charge of Engineering and Logistics, AIGP Godfrey Bangirana is among the Police bosses who still holding offices after their contracts expired.
He attended the 25th first Police Council session on Monday but failed to turn up on the closing day, which President Museveni addressed on Tuesday, and his office was locked also.
This follows the ruling made by the Civil Division of High Court presided by Justice Henrietta Walayo on Monday 18, Nov 2019. In the ruling, Walayo commanded Bangirana to vacate office following complaints that he lacks valid contract permitting him to stay in office.
Walayo also ruled that the command will stay valid until the main case against Bangirana is determined.
Bangirana was accused of illegally holding office after his contract expired on 16th, July 2019, together with the Attorney General (AG) who serves as the Chief legal representative of the government of Uganda.
The case against Bangirana was filed by a concerned citizen Maddo who wanted a declaratory order from High Court, Civil Division to declare that Bangirana’s stay in office after the expiry date, serving as the Assistant Inspector of Police is illegal.
According to the complaint, Bangirana should be pulled out of the office and refund all salaries, emoluments paid, during his illegal stay in office.
Other directors whose contracts are hanging in balance include; Director traffic and director for fire rescue services and welfare.
