Police patrol beefed up by 25 new vehicles
THE bad guys had better get something else to do because the Police are out to make criminal activity a risky business
Crime Watch By John Kamya
THE bad guys had better get something else to do because the Police are out to make criminal activity a risky business. Maj. Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Inspector General of Police added 25 brand new patrol vehicles to the fleet that has been patrolling Kampala city.
Many of you are familiar with the dark blue Police pickups. These have been only been seven, with some often in the garage because of their age and have consequently been frequently breakdown. On average only five vehicals have been operational. Now you can imagine what will happen now that the fleet has been up by 25 vehicles.
What does this mean to an ordinary Ugandan staying in Kampala however? “The average reaction time to emergency calls has been 15 - 20 minutes, now we expect it to come down to 5 - 10 minutes,†says Gastom Bashobora, the officer in charge of the information room at the Central Police Station.
Previously, one patrol vehicle could be deployed to a division such as Kawempe. That would mean that if the vehicle is attending to an emergence in Kawanda and another emergency is reported in Bwaise, there would be a problem attending to both. A vehicle deployed in the city centre would probably be called to respond to the Bwaise emergency, leaving the city vulnerable. With more vehicles now, such problems will be reduced.
In addition, the new vehicles are coming with a now approach to policing in the city. According to Francis Rwego, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, the vehicles are not meant to only be driven around, but those using them must make contact with the people. “The Police officers must understand the community, its crime problems and respond accordingly,†says Rwego.
The vehicles will be given easy identity numbers such 1, or 2 or 3 and allocated a local area to patrol. The same policemen will use a particular vehicle so that the local people get to know them and cultivate closer ties. This will come in handy with the ongoing decentralisation of the 999-telephone service whereby emergency calls will be received at the nearest Police Station rather than the present centralised system.
The new vehicles have been fitted with roof-lights, loud sirens and loud speakers so that messages can be communicated to the public. They also have heavy-duty night searchlights and are very speedy. The vehicles will be fitted with a tracking system to enable their positions to be easily located.
The public still have an important role to play to make. Emergency calls should be genuine. Know your local patrol vehicle and report any misuse of the vehicles. With your corporation, crime will become a thing of the past.
THE bad guys had better get something else to do because the Police are out to make criminal activity a risky business. Maj. Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Inspector General of Police added 25 brand new patrol vehicles to the fleet that has been patrolling Kampala city.
Many of you are familiar with the dark blue Police pickups. These have been only been seven, with some often in the garage because of their age and have consequently been frequently breakdown. On average only five vehicals have been operational. Now you can imagine what will happen now that the fleet has been up by 25 vehicles.
What does this mean to an ordinary Ugandan staying in Kampala however? “The average reaction time to emergency calls has been 15 - 20 minutes, now we expect it to come down to 5 - 10 minutes,†says Gastom Bashobora, the officer in charge of the information room at the Central Police Station.
Previously, one patrol vehicle could be deployed to a division such as Kawempe. That would mean that if the vehicle is attending to an emergence in Kawanda and another emergency is reported in Bwaise, there would be a problem attending to both. A vehicle deployed in the city centre would probably be called to respond to the Bwaise emergency, leaving the city vulnerable. With more vehicles now, such problems will be reduced.
In addition, the new vehicles are coming with a now approach to policing in the city. According to Francis Rwego, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, the vehicles are not meant to only be driven around, but those using them must make contact with the people. “The Police officers must understand the community, its crime problems and respond accordingly,†says Rwego.
The vehicles will be given easy identity numbers such 1, or 2 or 3 and allocated a local area to patrol. The same policemen will use a particular vehicle so that the local people get to know them and cultivate closer ties. This will come in handy with the ongoing decentralisation of the 999-telephone service whereby emergency calls will be received at the nearest Police Station rather than the present centralised system.
The new vehicles have been fitted with roof-lights, loud sirens and loud speakers so that messages can be communicated to the public. They also have heavy-duty night searchlights and are very speedy. The vehicles will be fitted with a tracking system to enable their positions to be easily located.
The public still have an important role to play to make. Emergency calls should be genuine. Know your local patrol vehicle and report any misuse of the vehicles. With your corporation, crime will become a thing of the past.