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Mubende, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Inspector General of Police –IGP Okoth Ochola has instructed police commanders to release suspects with minor offences in districts affected by the latest outbreak of Ebola.
Uganda has recorded 11 deaths and 11 confirmed cases of the Ebola virus disease from communities in Mubende district over the last week. But as the Ministry of Health embarks on contact tracing in the areas of Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kassanda and Mityana, the Police Force is also seeking to decongest its cells to control the spread of the virus.
Ebola, which is spread through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person and on objects or surfaces contaminated by the body fluids of an infected person, manifests as a deadly hemorrhagic fever. Its symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.
Ochola’s directive was issued today to police commanders by the Director of Police Health Services Dr Moses Byaruhanga. Some of the minor offences commonly known as misdemeanours include affray (common fighting), rogue and vagabond, and simple assault.
For capital offences like murder, defilement and rape, Ochola has directed that detectives quickly liaise with state prosecutors to ensure the suspects are charged and remanded to prison facilities where they can be managed better.
Byaruhanga added that police officers are listed among the most at-risk populations because of the huge numbers of people they deal with every day at the stations, during operations or inside their barracks. As a result, crowding of police stations has also been banned, and restrictions imposed on those accessing police stations.
According to the guidelines, every person who accesses the police station must be screened at the entrance and instructed to wash their hands. The commanders have also been warned against using lack of funds as an excuse for not providing basic measures like wearing masks, and washing hands with soap.
Ochola has directed that commanders of police stations, divisions or regions to ensure money for daily operations is diverted to measures that help to control the Ebola spread.
Ochola and Dr Byaruhanga have also directed all stations and division commanders to ensure that the body bags that were supplied during the COVID-19 outbreak are prepared for death emergencies. Cars that will carry bodies must be thoroughly disinfected as well as police cells.
Police officers have cautioned against going to crowded places such as bars and markets without protective gear like masks. Ochola has warned that he will take stringent action against commanders who will be found reluctant to implement measures intended to control the Ebola spread.
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