By John Masaba and John Semakula

The Police has started paying some professionals who join the Force a higher salary than their counterparts.

According to the arrangement, professionals like doctors, lawyers and engineers are now taking home packages better than their colleagues.

Scientists like doctors, engineers among other professionals, will be the highest paid officers in the force.

New Vision has learnt that a newly commissioned recruit who holds a professional degree earns over sh700, 000 compared to the sh520, 000 of the non-professionals.

Police spokesperson, Judith Nabakooba, told New Vision that the move is intended to harmonize salaries of their professionals with other government agencies in order to create equity.

“We are following the remuneration structure in the Public Service. There is nothing wrong with this arrangement,” she answered when asked if the arrangement would not attract disgruntlement among other members of the force.

The Government recently raised the salaries of scientists. A medical doctor now earns at sh2.5m.  A magistrate earns about sh1.1m while a teacher earns sh520, 000.

President Museveni recently revealed that he was facing “a lot of resistance” in the Government because officials still wanted salaries to be based on protocol and not one’s profession and contribution to the economy.

“My view is that people’s pay should depend on the market price. If you are an administrator and we sack you, we can easily get a replacement. But if one scientist goes, it is not easy to replace him,” he said.