Curb insecurity through community policing

Curb insecurity through community policing

What you need to know:

  • The issue: Robberies and insecurity
  • Our view: Ideally, community policing, which the Police has promoted for years, is one of the best models to reduce and prevent crime.

Fear has gripped residents of the city and surrounding areas following reports of a wave of robberies carried out in shockingly daring manner. On Friday, pictures circulated on social media showing broken doors and windows reportedly shared by a robbery victim.
While robberies are common in many parts of Kampala, this new wave has triggered debate and fear. According to a message attributed to one of the victims and eyewitnesses interviewed by the media, the thugs stormed an estate in Mbalwa [Namugongo] just after midnight waking people up. They had axes, pangas and guns. They kicked and broke doors of those who refused to open and demanded wallets, phones and laptops.
According to some eye witnesses, the thugs seem to be well coordinated and connected because they vanished just as police approached the estate. This kind of robbery is not the first of its kind in Mbalwa. In another incident, a guard was killed and people ordered out of their houses and commanded to hand over money, laptops and phones.
These cases are neither isolated nor unique to Mbalwa. Insecurity is fast becoming a nationwide problem. We have had several killings of Ugandans, notably Muslim clerics. Some of the recent victims—AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi and Maj Muhammad Kiggundu—were high profile personalities protected by armed guards. They were gunned down together with their bodyguards in the city in daring fashion.
Sunday Monitor reported an incident where unidentified gunmen shot a businessman in his shop on Salaama Road, Makindye Division.
These killings and robberies raise serious concerns about the safety of Ugandans. In Masaka and surrounding districts, for instance, thugs have been attacking homes and killing people for the last few months. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) needs to urgently address himself to this matter.
Ideally, community policing, which the Police has promoted for years, is one of the best models to reduce and prevent crime. This model has, however, not been very successful in many parts of the country. For community policing to be successful, police must build and maintain a good relationship with communities.
It is impossible for citizens to work with police to fight crime if there is no trust and confidence in the Force, more so after President Museveni noted that police has been infiltrated by criminals. Yet Ugandans expect Police to address the rising insecurity. The IGP must clean up the Force and build close relationships with communities to ensure criminals are kept at bay.