Brief history
The Department of Research and Planning in the Uganda Police Force started in 1992. Force objectives would then be generated from Police headquarters and sent down to districts for implementation. A lot of effort was put in to ensure that District Management Teams understand this new approach but with little success.

In 1996, the approach was changed so that it was more participatory and by 1998 a five year Corporate Strategy and Development Plan (1998-2003) had been developed. This plan set out the way in which the Force expected to deliver its services to the community over a five year period, 1998/99 – 2002/3. It identified the major strategic direction and targets for the Force, providing the strategic and practical framework for producing the improvements in the Force’s services. It identified what the Force wanted to improve and how to target resources to focus on these priority areas. To achieve this five year plan, an Annual Policing Plan with its priorities would be drawn each year. The priorities and targets of these plans were to direct the use of resources and all important management decision.

Strategic Investment Plan (SIP I&II)
In 2001, President Museveni was elected and began his five year term in office. Following the Justice “Sebutinde Commission” of inquiry, his 2001 manifesto explicitly required the Police to reorient and make it more pro-people and to fight against corruption in the Force.

At about the same time JLOS was developing its first Strategic Investment Plan, for the period 2001 – 2006 (SIP I). A Medium Term Strategic Plan was developed by Department of Research and Planning with the support of JLOS. The plan was to guide reforms in the Force for the period 2001 – 2006 and to move in tandem with JLOS SIP I.

The second Uganda Police Force Sector Investments Plan (UPF-SIP2) has since been prepared as a build-up and consolidation of the processes and progress achieved in the first UPF Strategic Investment Plan between 2001and 2006. The Second Investment Plan will run from 2006 to 2011. 

As the overreaching principle, UPF-SIP2 is premised on creating maximum synergy and coherence with the broader sector development objectives under the Justice Law and Order (JLOS) sector, which are in turn focused on facilitating poverty eradication in the country through improving the efficacy of administration of justice as well as the maintenance of law and order. Like the first Strategic investment plan, UPF-SIP2 will continue to foster the reforms of the Uganda Police Force started in 1998 in order to consolidate the gains scored and to address the challenges met.

The UPF-SIP2 provides an elaborate framework for prioritizing among competing programs and activities in the police force and is therefore the main basis for annual budgeting during the five years it is covering. The UPF-SIP2 takes account of the various factors that affected the implementation of the first strategic plan and provides options for funding from different sources using agreed funding modalities.

The UPF-SIP2 is a living document that will progressively benefit from further reviews and inputs from a wide range of stakeholders in the Justice Law and Order Sector. It will be updated as the need arises depending on ongoing policy, structural or regulatory reforms.  Such updates will be undertaken within the context of the annual budgeting process.

Under UPF-SIP 2, the UPF operations, activities, resource allocation and utilization will be guided by the following strategic objectives;

• To improve professionalism and reliability of the police force
• To enhance prompt and satisfactory disposal of cases through prompt investigations
• To improve accessibility to services especially by the poor and marginalized
• To improve public order and safety
• To increase crime prevention in partnership with the community with view to reducing incidence and fear of crime
• To uphold and enforce Human rights and the rule of law
• To increase effectiveness and efficiency of the UPF

Tasks, duties, responsibilities, mandate

• To develop and coordinate strategic planning and policy formulation for UPF
• Coordinate JLOS activities and with other stakeholders and development partners to make sure that UPF plans are in line with national’s thrust and development partners
• Plan, monitor and implement UPF review processes
• Oversee and advise on implementation of UPF institutional plans and projects
• Coordinate the mobilization of resources for UPF
• Carry out applied research and advise UPF on the best policing practices and systems
• Participate and spearhead the preparation and production of annual budgets and performance plans and other relevant manuals
• Develop planning processes and analytical techniques that support the development and evaluation of strategic options
• Identify strategic issues relevant to the police force and help other directorates incorporate them in their micro plans
• Secretariat to the management meetings and budget working committees in the UPF
• Prepare both departmental and institutional work plans and forward them to relevant authorities
• Determine, monitor and evaluate performance indicators for functional areas in the UPF
• Collect and analyze data on various Force projects with a view of establishing relevant information
• Create and manage the Force data bank
• Advise UPF on policies and systems for review
• Monitor and evaluate strategic plan implementation for the UPF

Running programs and planned activities for financial year 2009/10

• Human Rights and Good Governance Training for police personnel
• Monitoring and evaluation of UPF projects and activities laid out in SIP II in conjunction with UPF partners
• Statistical Development and Improvement programs
• Training of RPCs and DPCs in planning, policy formulation and Budget

Collaborations/partners

• JLOS
• European Union
• UBOS
• OPM