250 POLICE OFFICERS REMOVED FROM CITY

Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura

 

By ANDREW BAGALA

KAMPALA.
The Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, has removed more than 250 officers at the rank of Inspector, who have been in charge of police posts in different parts of Kampala Metropolitan Police Area, and replaced them with Assistant Superintendents of Police.

The removed inspectors joined police as constables and they now have an average of 20-year experience in policing while Assistant Superintendents of Police replacing them are degree holders who completed police training two years ago.
However, some of the removed officers are in suspense since the Force is silent on their new positions. The Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman, Mr Emilian Kayima, confirmed the deployment of the officers at the lower levels, but said some will be at the division and station level.
“The goal is to have better management and quality policing. The population of Kampala has increased. You find that a place like Kitebi, Rubaga Division, where we have a station, has 10 zones and each has more than 25,000 people. That is the population of some constituencies,” Mr kayima said.
Mr Kayima added that those big numbers need to be managed by an officer with the competence of a senior officer.
He said the deployment of degree holders is intended to improve the quality of investigations, command and control at the lowest level of police command.
Some of the ASPs have been sent to offices established at sub-counties in districts of Wakiso, Mukono and parts of Mpigi in Kampala Metropolitan Police Area. Others have deployed to city hospitals, roads and markets as officers-in-charge. Police posts at markets, like Nakasero and St. Balikuddembe, have been given ASPs as officers-in-charge.
Before officers at the rank of ASP would only be deployed at station level and above. But most positions at that level have been filled.
Since 2007, the number of degree holders in the police has increased. At least 3,000 ASPs have been recruited by the police in the last nine years.
Recently, President Museveni ordered the police leadership to field educated officers with expertise at lower levels to improve on the quality of investigation. 
CREDIT: MONITOR