Police probe spike in suicide cases among officers
A scene of crime officer seen combing for more evidence at a cordoned off Nakulabye police station in Kampala where officers say they successfully repelled an attack from two unknown assailants riding on a Boda Boda motorcycle at around 4am. PHOTO | ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Out of eight self-killings, seven have used their own guns while only one hanged himself on a tree adjacent to the main station’s building. Three of the eight suicides have happened in the last two weeks.
The Police's Directorate of Welfare has embarked on probing the causes of the rising number of suicide cases among police officers. At least eight police officers have committed suicide since the start of this year.
Out of eight self-killings, seven have used their own guns while only one hanged himself on a tree adjacent to the main station’s building. Three of the eight suicides have happened in the last two weeks.
Alfred Obadia is the latest police officer to shoot himself dead. This incident happened a few days ago inside Kireka police barracks. Obadia shot himself on Saturday morning using a pistol.
Rose Tendo, the police officer’s wife heard the sound of a gunshot at 9 am and when she rushed into the house, she found him in a fresh pool of blood on their bed with the pistol in his hand.
ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, said they have not yet established what prompted Obadia to kill himself.
“His friends said he knocked on their houses in the night as if he had something chasing him. They escorted him to his home. They say he was a very calm man. We don’t know what really caused this,” ASP Owoyesigyire said.
He said that a team will be visiting police stations and barracks to understand the reasons triggering self-killings.
“They will make visits in the company of police counsellors and other medical workers purposely to know why police officers are killing themselves. First, they will have to get accounts from officers who were close to the deceased colleagues in order to know what they perhaps said or did in their last days,” he said.
Since the self-killings have also happened in Kampala and Wakiso districts, ASP Owoyesigyire revealed that police management had picked interest in knowing what is driving officers in these areas to commit suicide.
“Management is looking into the issue, the rise of the suicide of our officers is also going up. The team from welfare is moving around trying to talk to our officers. Maybe we can find out what the problem is since we are seeing a spike in these suicides. It is something that management is looking into,” he said.
Psychologist Edward Bantu who was leading a team assessing the mental state of police officers months before the Covid-19 lockdown, said the men in uniform like any other human beings have problems, and often times they have no person to share with.
Mr Bantu said there is a need to ensure that regular talk sessions are held where police officers can share their challenges and police leadership must avail means of handling the dilemmas they express.
Some of the police officers who have committed suicide since this year began are Constable Alfred Obadia, and Constable Joel Kopi Bobi. Kopi first shot and killed his boss Corporal Geoffrey Ogwal and Constable Coled Twesigye.
Others are Assistant Inspector of Police –AIP George William Kaweesi 45, who killed himself in August hours after arriving at his new station in Pallisa District. Constable Mugenyi Kandoole killed himself in Masindi District.
The others are constables Yesho Joel Chemutai, James Atoo Agwayi, and Corporal George Drandi, attached to the Very Important Persons Protection Unit VIPPU.
