“Qualified” crime preventers will be deployed to man Police CCTV cameras- Museveni

President Museveni has said some of the qualified crime preventers will be deployed to man police CCTV cameras.

Speaking during the annual general meeting for the Crime Preventers Forum at the Lugogo indoor stadium on Thursday afternoon, Museveni some of the education crime preventers can help government by being deployed in its departments and agencies.

“We bought CCTV cameras for the police but require more IT people and if the crime preventers’ forum can identify some of the people who can man the cameras, we can use them,”Museveni said.

President Museveni two weeks ago ordered for the immediate sacking of all Police officers who were manning the temporary command centre in Nateete on the night of the kidnap of Maria Nagirinya who was working with CIDI and her driver Ronald Kitayimbwa.

Ten police officers were recently arrested over the President’s directive.

Speaking to crime preventers on Thursday, Museveni insisted that police officers who are supposed to man the CCTV cameras didn’t do their work well because instead of monitoring the cameras, they only used them to retrieve footage after the duo had been killed a thing he said was wrong.

He however insisted that qualified police officers to man the CCTV cameras are still few and noted that crime preventers can help fill the gap if they are qualified.

“We still need a lot of IT people to work with police. They can work for police at no pay but we can support them economically through their Saccos. If there are doctors among the crime preventers, they can help us detect fake drugs.”

Crime preventers as a reserve force

The crime preventers who were initially under the Uganda Police Force were last year put under the leadership of the UPDF and especially under the reserve force, Lt Gen Charles Otema Awany.

Museveni told the crime preventers that the reserve force is composed of those people who have responsibilities at home like married woman and men whom he said cannot be taken away from their families but rather trained to help detect crime in their respective areas.

“These cannot go away from their families for a long time but can undergo simple training like for a week and later return to their respective areas to help fight crime,”Museveni said.

He added that the second category is the reserve force that works with the army and is applied in times of war.

“These should be mainly young people without responsibility and take them for training to become the reserve. They can return and receive half-pay as a reserve force.”

He, however, noted that government cannot afford to pay crime preventers who are over 12 million but noted they can be helped financially so they can get out of poverty.

According to Blaise Kamugisha, the national coordinator for the crime preventers’ forum said through Saccos, they are able to get members out of poverty.

 He noted that among them are professionals including doctors, IT specialists, lawyers and teachers among others whereas the uneducated ones are also enjoyed in their own sacco.

 

https://nilepost.co.ug/2019/09/10/nagirinya-murder-museveni-orders-arrest-sacking-of-police-officers-manning-cctv-control-centre-in-nateete/