The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Police have terminated the services of all Flying Squad operatives from different parts of the county.
The more than 80 operatives, working as Special Police Constables on contract, will stop working with with immediate effect, Uganda Police says.
This is the second time in six months that focus is turning to the work of several groups in the Flying Squad Unit (FSU). In May, police boss Martins Okoth- Ochola said he had dismissed over 200 operatives due to allegations of gross misconduct and torture of suspects.
A month later, Police said they had simply been laid aside for vetting, and had decided to redeploy 174 operatives of the close to 273 they had before.
The latest decision by the police top management was communicated through an internal memo pinned at the Flying Squad headquarters at Central Police Station (CPS) Kampala, on Monday November 5.
According to the memo, the operative’s services are terminated until further notice.
“All those who have been working with Flying Squad as operatives their services have been terminated with effect from 5th November 2018 until further notice,” reads the warning memo signed by the Commandant Flying Squad, Peter Kakonge.
The termination of operatives leaves only fully trained and recognised police officers as part of the Flying Squad uniformed personnel.
The operatives most of whom have been in the unit since it was founded in 2005 as an Operation code named ‘Wembley’, have been blamed by many for tarnishing the image of the police elite unit which was formed to handle gun related crimes, motor vehicle robberies and kidnaps.
The unit operated for many years with only its management being police officers while the biggest share of its personnel remained operatives until 2016 when the former commandant ordered all personnel to undergo police basic training if they wanted to be enrolled into the force formally.
Some of the operatives at the time went for the training and were transferred upon being passed out while others remained as SPCs.
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