Police face 60,000 personnel shortage

Dec 19, 2017

Kayihura said Police needs 100,000 personnel to effectively execute its mandate of providing security to Ugandans and their property

The Uganda Police Force (UPF) requires about 60,000 more personnel to execute its mandate effectively, according to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Gen. Kale Kayihura.

The 60,000 Police personnel shortage is more than half of the current number of the force in the country that stands at 44,600.

The number, however, also falls short of the UN recommended ratio for stance of one police officer guarding 500 people (1:500).

While opening a new community funded police post in Kulambiro, a Kampala suburb recently, Kayihura cautioned residents to stop building Police posts saying it will cause a problem in the force.

"If every zone and village builds a Police post; we will get a problem because we do not have enough human resource. This will force us to split the little in place hence leading to insecurity," he warned.

Kayihura said Police needs 100,000 personnel to effectively execute its mandate of providing security to Ugandans and their property.

"We are few and the demands are high with the increasing population. Instead of setting up new Police posts to stretch the few personnel in place; we should consider buying more vehicles and motorcycles for the force to be mobile," he advised.

Kayihura also indicated that community policing entails offering preventive measures to security challenges in the community rather than being offensive.

"With community policing, I expect Police officers to look-out teams and crime preventers to be based in the communities; identifying security challenges and solving them but not sitting at the stations," Kayihura urged.

Kayihura praised his force for doing well in terms of professionalism which he defined as an officer having the technical knowledge and conviction to prosecute missions at individual level.

"Professionalism should relate to executing constitutional mandate. Professionalism is acquired through training, working and experience," Kayihura said.

The Police boss said he plans to install microchips to simplify monitoring of officers in the field which he said would be a remedy to officers misusing guns.

"On the issue of pending cases; we must effectively investigate crime so as to ease tension among the citizens. We are also in plans to install a computerised criminal case file tracking in efforts to improve on transparency," he said.

Kayihura pledged to give a patrol vehicle and two motorcycles to the newly launched community police post to improve on the mobility of the personnel.

The Tuba community Police post in Kulambiro is an initiative of the late deputy IGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi who was assassinated this year on his way from home.

According to Muhamad Kigundu, Tuba zone LCI chairperson, the fallen Police spokesperson Kaweesi came up with the idea of a police post after the security situation had worsened.

"We planned this Police post with the late Kaweesi who promised to use part of his salary to construct permanent structures after acquiring land from the residents," he remembered.

Narrating the history, Kigundu recalled a series of crime that had made the area a war zone and hide out for criminals.

"Because this was a newly developing housing estate, it was a hub for thugs as they used to hide in uncompleted buildings and the bushes around," he said.

He noted that fighting the criminals was not easy as a number of residents were not supportive.

"Currently the primary problem in the area is the increasing use of drugs by the youth and the bodaboda cyclists who are intoxicated on drugs and alcohol," he reported.

Nakawa division mayor Ronald Balimwezo lauded the residents for supplementing government in setting a modern facility, but warned parents to safeguard their children.

"We will be forced to arrest all children found moving at night because most of these boys and girls who attack people at night," he said.

Hussein Mugarura, the officer in charge at Tuba police post said the situation was normal advising residents to install street lights to improve security.

The sh36m facility will host two detention cells for men and women, CID office and the area LCI chaiperson

 

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