CHALLENGES OF POLICING IN POOR ECONOMIES

By ASP Musisi Richard

Policing in Uganda during pre-colonial and post colonial times has not been easy due to challenges and advances in the force. The population growth, economic progress, the development of road and rail communications in addition to the internal challenges within the force, the upsurge of the  political matters have expanded the role of the Uganda police.

So policing in Uganda’s poor economy requires a sense of nationalism and pan-Africanism. Uganda’s population is steadily growing and according to the 2002 population census projection, the population is about 30 million people. This is a challenge in that police’s roles have become quite many and the policing ratio has to be reduced from a bizarre ratio of 1:1200 people to 1:500 Ugandans. Its therefore on this background that government is doing all it can to direct resources to the force to improve policing.

The increase in commercial life and business, the higher the crime rate and disorderliness in a society. The spread of road and rail network (communications) calls for more traffic personnel to control vehicles on such road networks. A good number of traffic officers have to be trained for traffic duties and posted at fixed points in Kampala and other highways and towns in the country to adore satisfactory results. One among the internal challenges is a force that lacks enough equipment and to detect crime and enhance vigilance among personnel. On top of meager pay which of course is due to the poor economy, policing equipments like sound firefighting gear, appropriate training equipments, patrol vehicles, housing and accommodation, communication equipments among others are still big challenges.

You find that if fire broke out anywhere in Uganda, it would take the fire fighters between 2-3 hours to respond. This is not out of sheer negligence but it’s due to logistical problems. The challenges of balancing between threats to public order and the rule of law. In this country, a major threat to public order from groups political dissidents who prefer public disorder and intimidation to democratic means to solve political differences. When violence erupts, police officers have a statutory duty to stop it, but in course of doing so, they are accused by those involved of favoring one side or the other on the ground that police has to be professional and impartial at all times.

Of recent however, it’s a priority now that the Inspector General of Police Major General Kale Kayihura is striving hard to build capacities of the fire brigade, medical department, traffic and counter terrorism which have been far below standards over time. Through IGP’s endeavors, government is trying hard to construct modern police training academies for instance police training school masindi-kabalye campus. 

Despite all the challenges, senior and subordinate officers ought to appreciate the situation focusing on the current economic environment in order to have a competent standing workforce with a logical analytical awareness in support of national security interests. In its efforts to improve the force, government has re-embarked on massive recruitment of both senior and junior officers to first of all reduce the policing ratio. It’s through this massive recruitment that currently, through efforts of the IGP, the strength of police has increased from 18000~40000 men and more efforts are being directed to the welfare of police like fair pay, accommodation and training.

The challenge of professionalizing the force in as far as executing policing duties is concerned; the police is recruiting men and women with different professional careers. Government is acquiring equipments on top of training more competent and qualified personnel. Enough sound patrol vehicles and communication equipments have been acquired for instance CCTVs which will help in fighting crime. Efforts are also being put in to develop emergency response in situations like traffic accidents and natural disasters which have been a challenge overtime. The force currently under the command of Major General Kale Kayihura and credit goes to the government which has tried its best to help equip the police with knowledge and equipment. Other donors such as Netherlands, Egypt, Britain, Botswana and France have also assisted.

As the economy is steadily improving, police has a new role of training and equipping its officers and men in order to defend the power, economy, internal disorders and the constitution to allow Ugandans to develop and modernize the country. And every police officer must realize that individual actions reflect the entire Uganda police force and the country in general.