You Too Can Report The Police
Sep 18, 2002
Many people have got an axe to grind with police officers who either oppress, extort money, or mishandle their cases.
By John Kamya
Many people have got an axe to grind with police officers who either oppress, extort money, or mishandle their cases.
The Uganda police Force established a complaints desk in 1998, to address all public complaints against the police. The desk was later renamed the Human Rights and Complaints Desk. This was because the majority of complaints that were registered were of a human rights nature.
The desk was established on the legal basis of Section 71 of the Police Statute(1994), that provides for any member of the public to lodge a complaint against any police officer, who in his opinion has performed his duties unprofessionally and broken any provisions of the Police Code of Conduct.
Any member of the public has a right to lodge a complaint against a police officer without prejudice, to any other legal means available to him/her, such as the courts of laws. Uganda Human Rights Commission, IGG etc. It is therefore not expected that each complaint against a police officer must be only addressed sent to police headquarters.
A complaint can also be made at a local police post, a police station, the district police headquarters and at the regional police headquarters. Complaints may include torture or illegal detention.
The choice of venue is usually determined by the rank, office or station of the officer being complained aboutt and the ability of the complainant to report to whichever relevant office he/she is able to report to.
Complaints can be received orally, in writing, by telephone, fax or e-mail. The telephone hotline for the complaints desk is 041-340611. You can also use the Inspector General of Police’s fax no. 041- 255630 or e-mail: genpol@utlonline.co.ug.
Ends
Many people have got an axe to grind with police officers who either oppress, extort money, or mishandle their cases.
The Uganda police Force established a complaints desk in 1998, to address all public complaints against the police. The desk was later renamed the Human Rights and Complaints Desk. This was because the majority of complaints that were registered were of a human rights nature.
The desk was established on the legal basis of Section 71 of the Police Statute(1994), that provides for any member of the public to lodge a complaint against any police officer, who in his opinion has performed his duties unprofessionally and broken any provisions of the Police Code of Conduct.
Any member of the public has a right to lodge a complaint against a police officer without prejudice, to any other legal means available to him/her, such as the courts of laws. Uganda Human Rights Commission, IGG etc. It is therefore not expected that each complaint against a police officer must be only addressed sent to police headquarters.
A complaint can also be made at a local police post, a police station, the district police headquarters and at the regional police headquarters. Complaints may include torture or illegal detention.
The choice of venue is usually determined by the rank, office or station of the officer being complained aboutt and the ability of the complainant to report to whichever relevant office he/she is able to report to.
Complaints can be received orally, in writing, by telephone, fax or e-mail. The telephone hotline for the complaints desk is 041-340611. You can also use the Inspector General of Police’s fax no. 041- 255630 or e-mail: genpol@utlonline.co.ug.
Ends