At the Civil Service College (CSC) in Jinja, the Regional Police Commander (RPC) for Kiira, SSP Charles Nsaba, urged Police Senior Supervisors and Officers In Charge (OCs) to focus on combating both major and minor crimes, bearing in mind that Jinja is a top tourist destination.
He also provided instructions and guidance to all senior officers and OCs in the region on effective and efficient policing ahead of the festive season. These remarks were made while addressing police officers, and in attendance were all regional heads of departments, District Police Commanders (DPCs), and their respective OCs.
Additionally, he issued strict guidelines regarding sugarcane trucks. He instructed that all sugarcane trucks with mechanical issues must be towed to police parking yards, saying, “I don’t want to see stationary sugarcane trucks on our roads starting tonight,” directing traffic officers to enforce this.
He emphasized the following security measures to curb criminality: maintaining alertness and customer service, conducting daily joint patrols, carrying out daily joint intelligence-led operations in all crime-prone areas, tightening day and night supervision by DPCs, ensuring adherence to human rights, combating extortion and bribery, and integrating highway patrol vehicles to monitor the Trans-African Highway (Jinja – Iganga – Busia Road) and the Jinja – Kamuli Road to prevent highway robberies and accidents.
“No time for sleeping. When crimes that instill fear in the public, whether major or minor, occur in your area, you should be concerned,” he pointed out. He listed crimes such as terrorism, murder, armed robbery, cash robberies, vehicle and motorcycle theft, land grabbing, activities that disrupt public peace and safety, accidents, torture, human rights abuses, gender-based violence against women, violence against children, computer misuse that spreads hatred and hostility, affray, and phone snatching.
The RPC also stated that the cantonment commander for Busoga has reinforced their efforts with Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) officers to ensure public safety and security before, during, and after the festive season. Starting tonight, joint patrols must be conducted, and all CCTV cameras will be operational to support operations and investigations. He also cautioned officers to tightly guard all government installations, such as the Source of the Nile bridges, power stations, Kiira Motors, UNOC oil reserves, etc. Officers are also to safeguard places of worship, public events, and locations such as markets, supermarkets, shops, petrol stations, hotels, guesthouses, factories, and public roads.
However, the RPC urged the public to cooperate with security agencies by sharing timely information about suspicious activities and individuals in their areas. He emphasized the importance of ensuring functional Local Council (LC) systems to register all persons and guesthouses/hostels to keep track of visitors.
The R/CIDO, SSP Monday Johnson Agaba, cautioned CID officers against registering civil cases as criminal cases and urged them to avoid corruption. He reminded officers that police bonds are free and stated, “I don’t want to hear complaints of case file mismanagement from your station, or else you will be put in cells,” asserting his authority.
The regional alert squad, led by the Deputy RPC, SSP David Katunda, will be moving back and forth to ensure strict adherence to the security guidelines and will arrest OCs for non-compliance.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) for Kiira, SP James Mubi, urged officers to be detail-oriented, people-centered, and results-driven in their policing to uphold the image of the institution. He also called on the general public to work closely with police to ensure security, as they often receive first-hand information.
Individuals running tourism destinations were also advised to implement security measures such as checking all visitors, ensuring security personnel are well-equipped to handle potential insecurities, and collaborating with police officers in their areas to ensure public safety during the festive season.
Travelers were urged to prioritize their safety before engaging in recreational activities, as security starts with the individual.
