IS UGANDA POLICE READY FOR CHOGM?

Uganda has spent more than two years preparing for The Common Heads of Government Meeting. Improving national security has been the first priority these preparations. Billions of money was put a side for the purpose of training police and recruiting manpower in the police force. Government also purchased expensive riot vehicles from South Africa for the purpose of cubing down riots.

Three months back after carrying out serious training, the police under the inspection of the Scotland Yard Police, failed to perfect their exercise on streets of Kampala. During this exercise, police vehicles meant to be used in riots knocked down many cars in the process.

Both the public and the inspectors were looking on as the police officers trained to protect the public were jumping off the patrol to save their lives. Some people got minor injuries in the process of running away from the uncontrollable truck, which was knocking everything on the way.

It created some kind of suspicion; one could wonder whether these were bogus imported vehicles or it was too early for police officers to master new technology. To some sympathizers, they argued that it was too early to judge them, they still had months to get ready hence the public didn’t react much.

As if that was not enough, the police seems has not learnt from its past mistakes, on 17th October 2007, five weeks to the CHOGM meeting, it carried out another testing this time it was about how to handle two critical situations [a demonstration and an accident] occurred at the same time in the same venue, it was carried out on Entebbe road.

This exercise involved serious accident where a police officer got burnt in the process of lighting fire. He got injuries all over his body and he was taken in hospital for medication.

This officer forgot that his clothes had consumed fuel, which they were using at the moment, in a process he came nearer to the fire frames and he couldn’t survive it.

One could wonder, who is responsible for this carelessness? Could it be the trainers who don’t seem to mean business at work or the blame goes to the trainees who seem to take things for granted?

What if this was a real incident ‘God forbid’, where this police was sent as rescue team, do you think it was ready to save life of the dignitaries on that day with out losing any? This is the question, which is supposed to be answered by the police.

The police as a government department is losing it, it is creating suspicion among different groups of people. The opposition side is keen to see any slight mistake made by government to get platform from where they can start criticizing these preparations. And it is their duty to do other wise.

The international community is equally interested in whatever happening in Uganda at this moment, more especially on security matters. Any mistake can make the country lose out.

The government need to be alert about activities carried out by our police, they should avoid such mistakes in this sensitive period, other wise the country is bound to be ashamed during that time of CHOGM meeting.
The police force should put it in mind that, people’s lives including those of foreign leaders; special envoys and tourists are lying in their hands. By making such mistakes when we are left with not even a month to the meeting leaves us with our common question…is our police ready for CHOGM?