Police to establish mental wellness centres for officers to handle anger issues

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | To reduce gun violence by some police officers, the law enforcement agency plans to establish a new department to handle anger management and treat police officers with mental illnesses.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, hinted at this this week while on a familiarisation tour of the West Nile policing region to assess the security of the districts bordering South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

While meeting the regional police staff, DPCs, OC Stations, and heads of specialised units from Arua city divisions and districts of Arua central business division, Katsigazi said that he wanted to know the causes of gun violence in the region and hinted that there are plans to establish psychosocial centres and a full department to handle anger management as well as treat police officers with mental illness.

Although he did not go into detail about the new plan, it has been established that the process is underway in response to the recent spike in gun violence by security personnel.

Some critics have stated that this policy plan is long overdue and that it should be implemented to assist police officers who are dealing with mental health issues and to protect the public from the consequences