As the country gears up to the next year’s General Election , the Uganda Police Force are planning to 10,000 newly trained officers to boost manpower during the election period.
According to the Police leadership, the officers are currently undergoing training at Kabalye Police Training School in Masindi district and other training grounds .
.Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said once they complete their course , the new officers will be immediately integrated into election security operations .
“ The planned deployment is aimed at ensuring peaceful and non-violent elections by keeping law and order before, during and after the polls. Our priority is to guarantee the safety of all Ugandans, protect the integrity of the electoral process by working closely with the Electoral Commission (EC) to deliver peaceful, free and fair elections,” he said during a media dialogue with Kiira region Police leaders at the Jinja city-based Civil Service College Uganda (CSCU) on Tuesday .
The meeting was aimed at forging ways on how to work with the media during the General Elections.
Rusoke said the 10,000 officers will join the 3,000 officers who have already been passed out in the last few months, available for election duties.
“ They will work alongside the army and other sister security agencies under the national joint security framework,” he said
Rusoke also noted that the Police are also undergoing intensive training and sensitisation within the organic forces on election policing, human rights, intelligence gathering, and community policing, to prepare them for the complexities of election security.
“We want a professional, disciplined, and people-centred force that respects rights while maintaining order. The new officers have been equipped with modern crowd management skills to avoid excessive force,” he said.The Police are also having interactive sessions with various stakeholders, including politicians, civil society organisations and EC as a preparatory measure.
He warned over the formation of Ghetto groups, clutters and others he termed as ‘Egaali’ that cause hooliganism and mayhem, which negatively impacts elections through causing violence and being chaotic. He urged the groups to rather get organised to benefit from Government poverty-alleviation programmes like the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Operation Wealth Creation (OWC).