21 Police Officers were on 1st May 2019  awarded with Medals by H.E the President during the International Labour Day Celebrations at Patongo Akwee primary school Agago District.

Among the officers awarded include AIGP Isabirye Haruna the Director HRD, CP Baryamwisaki Felix , the Director ICT, ACP Baryabasa Billy the Deputy commandant Professional standards Unit, ACP Ssebambulide Charles the PRO Traffic Directorate, SSP Atuhaire Moreen, the Head child and Family Protection unit,among many others

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Published: May 1, 2019

30 detectives attached to the Department of Anti-Narcotics are being empowered with skills to curb Transnational Organised Crime specifically in relation to the movement of narcotics across different countries and continents.

The training will focus closely on passenger profiling, identification of high risk travelers as well as phone mining and analysis.

While launching the four-day training this morning, Director Human Resource Administration, AIGP Hajji Balimoyo Moses who represented the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at Protea Hotel in Entebbe revealed that the training is being facilitated by the European Police [EURO-COP] under the European Africa response to Transnational Organized Crimes [EU-ACT] Project.

In his speech, the IGP J.M Okoth Ochola noted that the Uganda Police Force is privileged to be offered this training by the European Union.

He thanked the trainers for the offer extended to the Uganda Police Force and the anti-narcotics department in particular on skills enhancement in the fight against narcotics in Uganda and on the international scene.

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Published: April 2, 2019

Born in 1970 to Jane Apubo and  Stanley Etori in Kalaki Village in present day Kaberamaido district, CP Christine Alalo was one of the 157 people that perished in the Ethiopian airlines flight ET 302 crash on March 10, 2019.

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Published: March 15, 2019

The Police are mourning the tragic outcome of yesterday’s plane crash, upon learning that it claimed the life of Commissioner of Police (CP), Alalo Christine, who was working with the African Mission in Somalia, (AMISOM), as the Acting Police Commissioner. The officer was returning from Italy to Mogadishu, Somalia and was one of the victims in the Ethiopian Flight ET 302, which crashed yesterday killing all occupants aboard.

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Published: March 11, 2019

NSAMBYA - Police have destroyed 618 Kilograms of narcotics worth US $2.8m at the Nsambya Police Barracks. The drugs  were seized from drug traffickers from 2015 to date.The Deputy Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Sabiiti Muzeyi commended the anti-narcotics officers and other security agencies for ensuring drug traffickers do not use the  country as a safe haven to do their trade.

“Trafficking in narcotics is one of the transnational organized crimes like human trafficking, money laundering and terrorism. These crimes are committed by criminals that are highly organized and their activities have global impact on society they operate in. If not checked, drugs can disrupt social order. That is why every effort is made by countries to have these crimes stopped,” Maj. Gen. Sabiiti said.

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Published: March 15, 2019

BWEBAJA - The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Major General Sabiiti Muzeyi, has urged senior officers to lead by example to their subordinates as they perform their day-to-day duties.

Major General Sabiiti made the remarks today while presiding over the pass out ceremony of 45 police officers that underwent  a four-month Intermediate Command and Staff Course at Police Senior Command and Staff College, Bwebajja, Wakiso District.

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Published: March 6, 2019

MITOOMA - The Chief Political Commissar of the Uganda police force, AIGP Asan Kasingye has urged police officers in Mitooma district to know their responsibilities for an effective service delivery to the public.

Kasingye was speaking to officers at Mitooma district headquarters during the ongoing rectification campaign exercise in greater Bushenyi districts.

“A human resource manager should be able to ensure that each and every officer knows his or her duty, I have left instructions here that the DPC must provide in writing to the officers their schedule of duties so that they know what they are supposed to do. This will help in making sure that we do a periodic evaluation of the officers and will help improve their own capabilities if they know what they are supposed to do” Kasingye said during the function.

“The most important thing is to improve the relationship between the people and the force but also redeem the force’s image, the human rights position, and also to make sure there’s zero tolerance to corruption. We are not going to tolerate any corruption tendencies in the Uganda police as we try to bring the community closer to police.”

AIGP Kasingye also called upon officers to have team work adding that, there is no way they can deliver services without team work.

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Published: February 27, 2019

First of all, I welcome and thank all of you for working hard in service of the population which has enabled the institution deliver on the mandate of protecting people and their property.

Our achievements have been many but the challenges are equally several and the purpose of this message is to jointly forge a uniform path and strategic guidelines to govern our policing activities.

The strategic direction of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) is derived from and guided by Articles 211 and 212 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Ministerial Policy Statement, National Development Plan, The Police Act, The Police Standing Orders and Police Strategic Plan.

The major focus of the above is to rebuild and Transform the Uganda Police Force into a modern, Professional, service oriented, pro-people and effective institution.

The message presented herein is part of the information that I have conveyed to the officers in the several Regional Policing areas I have visited since I assumed office. The message has been summarized and simplified with the aim of ensuring that it is read and understood by all police officers

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Published: February 11, 2019

The Inspector General of Police J.M Okoth Ochola has today launched the National Command and ICT Research and Innovation Centres, a structure under the CCTV Project.

“The command center structure is the heart of C4I that is, command, control, communication, coordination and intelligence for Uganda Police Force in cooperation with sister security agencies. It is where the videos, data and voice of the CCTV and other systems will be monitored from. Therefore it is a vital structure that will house critical installations." Mr. Okoth Ochola made these remarks today during the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the National Command Centre at Police headquarters Naguru. During the same function construction of ICT Research and Innovation Centre at Kikandwa, Wakiso district was also launched.

He added: “On the other hand, the ICT Research and Innovation center will be a hub of ICT innovations for security agencies. All software will be in house developed from the center and then systems deployed basing on software developed by our own police officers.” The structure is part of the Safe City Project that started in June 2018.  It will house the main control units of the system which include crime monitoring center, emergency center 999/112, data analysis, data center and traffic monitoring center. It equipped with computers in the four laboratories with each having more than 60 seats to facilitate electronic learning for police officers. The construction of two structures is slated to take eight months and it being done by Huawei technologies limited.   

Mr. Okoth Ochola thanked the President of the Republic of Uganda for supporting the CCTV project as a way of closing the security gaps in the country.

SOURCE: Uganda Police Force / Published: January 21, 2019

If there are two words that are widely misrepresented in the entire criminal justice system, it is the Police bond and court bail.

These two are associated with corrupt tendencies. Legally, the two are rights and surely, the Police bond is totally free of any charges.

Unfortunately, whenever a suspect is released from Police custody on Police bond, many people, including some political actors, complain and allege that Police officers were bribed to take sides and release a “criminal”.

They easily forget or pretend not to know the presumption of the innocence principle in law. This is very unfair.

Equally, courts of law grant bail to those accused before them either on cash or a non-cash basis. This happens to their sureties too. If it is cash, the amount of money payable is specified and paid in the bank.

All you must present before the judicial officers are copies of receipts as proof of payment. What is interesting and probably unknown to many is the fact that this money will be refunded to you immediately the case is concluded in court, whether you are found guilty or acquitted. That is not debatable.

But many people never claim for it as they do not know or never kept their receipts or paid the bail money to fraudsters that pretended to be helping them secure their release. It is simple.

When the case is concluded in courts of law, secure the judgment and write a requisition to the head of that court where you were tried, requesting for a refund of the money you paid for bail.

Once the judicial officer endorses, your money will quickly be processed for payments to your bank account. The communication department of the Judiciary confirmed it to me that it does not even take two weeks to process such money. Therefore, do not leave your money either out of ignorance or negligence.

There are two legal issues we have to fully know. The 48-hour rule and the presumption of innocence principle. It simply means that all suspects are innocent until proof is adduced in courts of law to prove so.

Secondly, they must be taken to court within a period of 48 hours, meaning two days or else, we release them on bond. Many victims of crime or relatives, including the elite, do not want to appreciate the requirements of the law and prefer that suspects are kept in Police custody for as long as the investigations are not complete.

When they are released on bond, it attracts complaints, some twisted with allegations of bribery and manner of corrupt tendencies. A cross-section of the population out there has often accused us, law enforcement officers, of supporting criminals by handling them with kid gloves, releasing them quickly, which annoys their victims.

Well, the demands of the law must be complied with or else, we change the law. But as long as the law is in force, we might not have shortcuts anyway. For those that do not know, I find this presumption of innocence principle a very good legal measure that checks possible excesses by law enforcement officers.

You might disagree with me until you are a suspect yourself. Investigation of crime is a very tough and technical matter. It is too demanding in terms of resources; human and non-human.

When we have a suspect of murder, terrorism, sexual assault, arson, armed robbery, we all agree that this is pretty sophisticated crime that in essence calls for a lot of time.

Remember, the criminals took time planning their ugly act which might not be investigated to break through in only 48 hours. Well, there is a whole world of argument around this.

Some lawyers argue that we can do what we can do in two days, have the suspect taken to court on what we have, continue with investigations as the suspect is on remand to avoid appearing to be in conflict with the law. It is easier said than done.

How will the Director of Public Prosecutions be able to peruse and guide in these two days, have a suspect taken to court for this process?

It is a tough job, a very demanding one by all standards. When officers release suspects on bond as the law so prescribes, there are complaints of corrupt tendencies. When they keep them longer, it attracts complaints too.

The right thing to do is to follow the law, however bad it might seem to be, until it is changed by our good legislators.

Well, some suspects tell their victims that they bought their freedom from Police custody or courts simply to break their spirit. Beware!

By Emilian Kayima / Published: January 13, 2019