Its no offence to belong to people power – IGP Ochola to RPCs

The Inspector General of police J.M Okoth Ochola has warned police officers against torturing Ugandans because of their political affiliations.

Ochola cited an incident that was captured on video in which a supporter of ‘people power’ was allegedly tortured by police officers in Kajjansi.

The IGP was speaking to regional police commanders, heads of specialised units and directors at the Senior Command And Staff College, Bwebajja. He challenged the officers to cite an act in the penal code act where belonging to ‘people power’ is an offense.

Below is the full statement by the IGP

First of all, I welcome and thank all of you for working hard in service of the population which has enabled the institution to deliver on the mandate of protecting people and their property.

Our achievements have been many but the challenges are equally several and the purpose of this message is to jointly forge a uniform path and strategic guidelines to govern our policing activities.

The strategic direction of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) is derived from and guided by Articles 211 and 212 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Ministerial Policy Statement, National Development Plan, The Police Act, The Police Standing Orders, and Police Strategic Plan.

The major focus of the above is to rebuild and Transform the Uganda Police Force into a modern, Professional, service-oriented pro-people and effective institution.

The message presented herein is part of the information that I have conveyed to the officers in the several Regional Policing areas I have visited since I assumed office. The message has been summarized and simplified with the aim of ensuring that it is read and understood by all police officers.

2.0. Current Challenges Faced by the Uganda Police Force

The institution encounters a number of challenges that include and not limited to:

1. Corruption- Corrupt practices of selling police services like Police bond, Police Forms, K9, criminalization of civil matters, extortion on roads etc.
2. Civil Disorders.
3. Command and Management.
4. Violations of Human Rights.
5. Laxity in handling assignments.
6. Capacity gaps in terms of professionalism in training, skills development, mindset, attitudinal change, maintenance of the available equipment, use of robust scientific methods of intelligence gathering and crime investigation.
7. Staff welfare (housing, remuneration, medical and other basic needs).
8. In- country and Transnational Crimes such as Terrorism and Violent crimes, Cybercrime, Trafficking in drugs and persons, Human sacrifice, Trading in wildlife and their products, Environmental related crimes, Proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
9. Slow/poor response to emergencies or occurrences.
10. Lack of teamwork.
11. Financial constraints.

3.0. Priority Areas of Focus

In order to mitigate the challenges, UPF has a Strategic Direction (Priority Areas of Focus) guided by four thematic areas.

1. Protection of life and property
2. Preservation of Law and Order

• Prevention and detection of crime

1. Institutional Development, Governance, and Management.

 Areas of Focus:

1. Protection of life and property
2. Enhance the capability of UPF emergency and rescue services.
3. Strengthen traffic and road safety enforcement and education.
4. Expansion of marine and air policing services.
5. Strengthen the capability of UPF in counter-terrorism and management of violent crimes.
6. Enhance partnership with Private Security Organisations and ensuring that their personnel are well trained, certified, equipped and supervised so as to complement the services of the UPF.
7. Promotion of community policing to increase public awareness and participation in crime prevention.
8. Clear and effective communication to the personnel.
9. Preservation of law and order
10. Professionalism should be observed by all personnel. All officers must apply the acquired skills, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is well trained to carry out police work. You must apply constant efforts to achieve quality in the performance of Police activities to the total satisfaction of the population that we are mandated to serve.
11. Eradication of violation of rights of suspects especially torture as an investigative technique. Police officers must act with self-control and tolerance treating members of the public and colleagues with respect and courtesy. Do not under any circumstances inflict, instigate or tolerate any act of inhuman or degrading treatment (torture) to any person. You should only use force to the extent that is necessary, proportionate and reasonable, in all the circumstances.
12. Observation of human rights and public accountability by all officers. All police activities must be initiated, conducted, and reported in accordance with applicable laws, rules, regulations and should be conducted with due respect for the rights and privacy of those involved.
13. Promotion of customer care. Most individuals who come into contact with the police, such as victims, witnesses or suspects, may be vulnerable and therefore may require additional support and assistance.

You should be able to identify the individual needs of such persons and as far as is practicable, offer support and assistance to meet those needs.

• Prevention and detection of crime

1. Rebuild and equip the Criminal Investigations and Crime Intelligence Directorates so that we have intelligence-led operations and investigations. This will entail the following:

• Strengthening of forensic and medical-legal services for scientific evidence.
• Employing appropriate technology such as surveillance cameras and canine services.
• Strengthen INTERPOL to manage trans-national and trans-boarder crime.

1. Develop the capacity to deal with gender and sexual-based violence.
2. Enhancing partnership with the community.
3. Promote preventive policing.
4. A timely and effective response to complaints lodged by the public and fellow officers.
5. Engage the unemployed youths in order to lure them away from criminality.
6. Institutional Development, Governance, and Management

This priority area is geared towards transforming the UPF into a modern professional, service-oriented, pro-people, efficient and effective institution.

1. Rebuild the image of the institution.
2. Rebuild functional systems, observation, and respect for the chain of command so that the institution operates in an organized manner. There must be a streamlined procedure of giving and receiving lawful orders and instructions.
3. The emphasis of planning to ensure proper utilization of available human and non-human resources. Planning and foresight are key to effective resource management. Police officers must identify the resource needs of the activities to be executed at the earliest opportunity.
4. Strengthening UPF training institutions.
5. Addressing the welfare of police personnel.
6. Provision of direction and create a sense of hope and belonging to the subordinate officers.
7. Capacity building in terms of training in leadership, management, command and specialized fields to promote firmness in decision making. The training of a police officer should be a continuous process. A Police officer should receive formal and on-the-job exposure prior to any assignment requiring an independent application of a given subject matter. A continuous career development program should be established to provide the proper preparation, training, and guidance to develop into a professionally qualified police officer and supervisors.
8. Build the capacity of all Directorates and units so that they practice Monitoring and Evaluation which is an essential modern and scientific tool in modern management. Monitoring and evaluation of police services is fundamental.
9. Promotion of Patriotism. Police officers are Ugandan citizens, and therefore have no reason not to love the country. It is a constitutional obligation above and beyond political, ideological and religious beliefs. The best way for police officers to show they are patriotic is through dedication to their jobs and duties despite all adversities. Police officers must not only be patriotic themselves but also help educate the younger generation to become patriotic and responsible citizens.  All police officers must keep in mind that as citizens they not only have the right but also are obligated to embrace patriotism.  As law enforcement personnel they must set an example in abiding by the law, otherwise, they won’t be able to enforce the law correctly.
10. Empower and strengthen the Alert squad, disciplinary mechanisms, and the Professional Standards Unit operations throughout the country.
11. Promotion of ethics and integrity in the police force by eradicating corrupt practices. Police officers must be honest, act with integrity and not compromise or abuse their position. Never accept any gift or gratuity that compromises your impartiality. At all times, the actions of the police officer and the supervisors must conform to all applicable standards of ethical conduct
12. Mainstreaming gender in all policing operations.
13. Periodic Training on Legal Requirements.
14. Inspection of both personnel and equipment and police kit on a daily basis with a view of improving the outlook of the officers. An officer should appear smart and his /her reaction to others should be positive and not aggressive. All officers on duty, whether in uniform or in plain-clothes, must display a positive image of the police force in the standard of their appearance which is appropriate to their operational role. Even when off duty, Police officers should not behave in a manner that discredits the police force or undermines public confidence.
15. Timely response to complaints: All responses should be conducted and made in a timely manner. This is especially critical given the impact crime has on the lives of individuals and activities of organizations.
16. Promote teamwork and a coordinated approach to eradication of crime.
17. Establishment of a reliable Management Information System. The Police must cope with the changes in technology, computerization, automation, communication all of which have changed the crime configuration.

4.0. Conclusion

Transformation of the Uganda Police Force into a modern Professional, service-oriented, pro-people and effective institution entails teamwork, positive mental orientation, patriotism for the nation, exertion of authority, proper judgment of situations,  discipline, timely response to complaints, capacity building, addressing the welfare of the police personnel, provision of a sense of belonging and direction to the personnel, good customer care, safeguard of the equipment at our disposal, result oriented policing and putting in place functional systems so that the institution operates in an organized manner.

Thank you.

J.M.OKOTH-OCHOLA, (ESQ)

INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE