High rate of loss of political cases worries police detectives

KAMPALA. Over 340 senior detectives are worried of the high rate at which they are losing political criminal cases at the level of investigation and in courts of law.

In one of their resolutions after a week-long retreat, the detectives will be involved in all activities in which politicians or activists are suspected to commit offences.

The Police Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) Secretary, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Richard Lutalo, while reading the resolutions of the detectives, said they are concerned that even their officers don’t want to testify in court in criminal cases against politicians and activists.

“The police officers noted that there are many cases that are dismissed in court, because some officers and members of public refuse to testify,” SSP Lutalo said.

Political and media related cases increased from 193 in year 2017 to 442 in 2018, according to the 2018 annual crime and traffic safety report. In 2018, police took only 80 cases to court, securing nine convictions, three people were acquitted, 18 cases were dismissals while 50 cases were still pending in court and 186 cases were still under inquiry by December last year.
Detectives resolved that they should be involved in any plans against illegal political activities. The detectives will also be imbedded in Field Force Unit, a police group that disrupts gathering, to be able to collect evidence in time.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Stephen Sabiiti Muzeeyi, commended the detectives’ resolution on having an action plan to reduce loss of political cases.
“The CID and CI (Criminal Intelligence) must be involved. …you need to implement it (plan),” Maj Gen Muzeeyi said.

Maj Gen Muzeeyi said his interaction with police officers upcountry show that there is lack of supervision and creativity among commanders who tend to shift blame to police headquarters for failing them.

“In my tours, I have been interacting with CIDs (detectives) I ask what they have been doing, [and the response is] sir, I have took my files to the (police) region,” he said, adding that officers don’t even have records of what they have done in their personal diaries.

The Director of Criminal Investigations, Ms Grace Akullo, asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to allow police detectives to work as prosecutors, especially in areas where there are no state attorneys.

“Since police officers used to work as prosecutors before, the DPP should commission police officers as prosecutors in areas where there are no state attorneys,” Ms Akullo said.
She said in some upcountry areas, police officers have to keep suspects for weeks until state attorneys are got from other regions to peruse through the criminal case files.

In 2017, the Director of Public Prosecutions Michael Chibita appointed Senior Superintendent of Police Mark Odongo a public prosecutor after state attorney went on strike.

[email protected]