10,000 junior, senior police officers retrained in 4 years

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least 10,000 junior and senior police personnel have been equipped with new command and investigations skills in the last four years according to data compiled by police force’s research, planning and human resource directorates.

The statistics were compiled as a review of the four years when the police had suspended annual recruitments. Former directors for research, Assistant Inspector General of Police –AIGP Edward Ochom and now retired former human resource director, Moses Balimwoyo took lead in data collection.

The police force has over 46,000 including the 5,000 undergoing training at Kabalye police training school. This means the retrained 10,000 accounts for close to 25 percent while the rest are yet to receive refresher courses.

The reviewed period was when the police force took heed to President Yoweri Museveni’s advice to halt recruitment in 2016 but focus on quality improvement of its personnel. Majority of the retrained police officers were of non-commissioned category.

Senior officers range from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police –ASP to of AIGP while non-commissioned officers include policemen and women at the ranks of Inspector of Police, Assistant Inspector of Police, Sergeant, Corporal and Police Constables –PC.

Apart from leadership and command fresher courses offered to police personnel in the senior category, lower officers were trained in among other courses advanced criminal investigations, crime scene management and exhibit management.

“Conducted specialized and career development courses for over 10,000 personnel in various disciplines including executive leadership, strategic command and leadership programs. Non-commissioned officers course, advanced training in criminal investigations, forensics, canine, marine, fire, field force unit, counter-terror, medical, air wing,” reads the document.

Many of the police personnel offered new courses were from directorates and units such as Criminal Investigations Directorate –CID which was facing criticism for shoddy investigations, crime intelligence which is being perceived as dysfunctional, Field Force Unit –FFU and general police that have often faced uproar over rights abuses.

However, the improved quality of police personnel is yet to reflect in terms of response to crime scenes, crime investigations and prosecution rate. CID directorate led by AIGP Grace Akullo took only 34 percent of 215,224 cases reported to police in 2019.

To improve the quality of investigations and prosecution rates, Akullo recommends more refresher courses but also recruit more detectives. CID has 5,292 instead of the approved 19,843 leading to work overload.

“Equip the CID training school at Kibuli to enable the force to carry out short/ refresher courses for investigators, intelligent officers and other disciplines,” Akullo recommends.

Senior police officers have been undergoing refresher courses at Bwebajja Command and Staff College while lower rank officers have been trained at Kabalye Police Training School, Kikandwa Information Communication Technology –ICT institute, CID headquarters at Kibuli, Nakasongola Military Cantonment, Oliver Tambo Military Training and Gaddafi Barracks in Jinja.

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