Police have deployed at least 1,275 counter phone lines to its operational sub county police stations in a bid to increase timely reporting of incidents and to discourage the public from reaching out to individual officers they know personally.
The Sub County Policing Model (SCPM) was adopted from the strategic guidance by President Museveni during his address to the 25th Annual Police Council meeting held at Police Headquarters, Kampala in 2019.
The police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kituuma Rusoke told journalists in Kampala that they are discouraging the public from contacting individual officers as it can delay the official police response and bypasses formal reporting protocols.
He said Ugandans are encouraged to have these contacts because if someone lives in an apartment or an estate in a certain area or have a farm in a certain rural area, it is important to have such police establishments so that in the event of a challenge which require police intervention, one can make an immediate call for quick help.
ACP Rusoke said during police investigation of some cases a lot time is usually lost during communication just because the victim does not have the contact of police, and therefore, they go through a network of friends and much time is consumed.
Contacting the Uganda Police Force (UPF) has over time proved challenging for some Ugandans due to infrastructure gaps, limited public awareness of official channels, and systemic institutional issues. While the police are currently deploying more counter-phones to improve accessibility, several significant hurdles remain.
DON’T CONTACT INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS ON REPORTING CASES-POLICE
