Don't walk outside the law-Kayima warns police

Leticia Jjingo, managing director of Target and Global Center business groups and police spokesperson, Emilian Kayima hand over bedsheets to police officers residing in Naguru Barracks. Photo by  Eddie Ssejjoba

The police spokesperson, Emilian Kayima has warned members of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) against walking outside the law. He cautioned them against using their uniform to bully and violet people's rights.

He said serving police personnel must remain and work within the limits of discipline whether they are appreciated or condemned and avoid engaging in unlawful acts.

According to Kayima, serving officers must never overstep their mandate even in circumstances where their services are not prized.

"The discipline of police officers determines how far we can go in fulfilling our Constitutional mandate of serving the public," he said.

Kayima told the officers that in contemporary times, majority of members of the public know their rights and will be able to speak out if anyone in the force attempted or violated their rights.

"So we must strive to enhance the respect of each other through dedicated service and fairness, but once we are not fair, the public will judge us because they know their rights," he said this while addressing police officers residing in Naguru Barracks who received a pair of bedsheets for each couple, donated by Target business group based in Kampala

Leticia Jjingo managing director of Target and Global Center shops handed over 200 pairs of bedsheets and 120 cartons of baked beans to police officers and their children respectively.  

Kayima said that it was rare that the public appreciate police work despite doing a lot and going through hardships to serve as per their constitutional mandate of protecting human life and property.

According to Kayima, lower rank officers like those who benefited from the donation were the bedrock of the police force and do the donkey work of serving the public although they are rarely appreciated by the force and the public.

"It is rare that the public appreciates what we do otherwise we get energized and encouraged to improve and perform better when we get such gestures from companies like Target," he said.

He added, "But even when nobody appreciates you, you have the capacity to appreciate yourself and serve without limits".
Jjingo said that despite public condemnation, the police continued serving to secure life and their businesses.

She said that giving back to the police was a vote of confidence in the force for always securing their businesses during hard times including violent riots, which she said would cause them losses.

"This is to confirm to you that we do appreciate the police role in protecting us and our businesses during the hard times, we shall continue to support you because you have been there for us," she said.