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Crime: Police needs to get ahead of the curve
Inspector General of Police (IGP)-designate Abbas Byakagaba. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
The issue: Crime
Our view: ...a holistic approach has to be pursued to arrest what is by all accounts a troubling situation. The push and pull factors that continue to make crime so attractive to the country’s young population should not be glossed over.
In recent weeks, residents in Uganda have been forced to live in a climate of heightened fears over their safety. This follows viral clips that suggest sharp increases in muggings. The personal experience and visceral fears of many after watching pedestrians concussed by a kick in the head cannot be simply wished away. The orgy of violence has prompted an important broader debate about how to tackle disturbing levels of mugging that have again started to rise following a drop during the pandemic. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the current inflationary pressures could well ensure that things get worse before getting any better.
Bigwigs from the ruling NRM government that proclaim themselves the guardians of law and order should not watch with folded arms as the gravely worrying situation degenerates into a farce. The Uganda Police Force should step up to the plate, and respond to the challenge at hand with the required decisiveness and pinpoint accuracy.
Fortunately, the Force has in Abbas Byakagaba a new leader at its helm with possibly new ideas on how to tackle an issue that resonates across regions and classes. A lot has been made about Mr Byakagaba’s training with the hugely respected Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The hope then is that he will help set the Force on the path of doing good old fashioned police work. If actualised, the investigative work will ensure that the Force is more proactive than it previously was when entrusted to the care of military officers.
State actors should also be alive to the fact that the continuing financial pressures afflicting the Force have not helped matters. While appearing before the House committee on Defence and Internal Affairs back in March, the Force’s top brass made it patently clear that dwindling finances are not without consequences. To be specific, lawmakers heard that while Shs205 billion is needed to fuel patrol vehicles each day, only Shs46 billion continues to be made available. This translates into fewer patrol vehicles on the streets, a deficit that rogue elements have ruthlessly taken advantage of. To compound matters, there has also been a nose dive in the foot patrols as the Force can only feed 13,475 of its personnel. Adequate resources have to be made available so that the police are not diverted from core responsibilities.
We also believe that a holistic approach has to be pursued to arrest what is by all accounts a troubling situation. The push and pull factors that continue to make crime so attractive to the country’s young population should not be glossed over.
Also worth looking into is the country’s carceral system. Statistics continue to show that the country is not succeeding in reducing recidivism. Why are custodial sentences for young people red-flagged for such crimes associated with high levels of reoffending? Clearly, there is a lot more we could do to deter young people from perpetuating the crimes they are thriving on to make ends meet. Can the responsible authorities put their best foot forward?
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