Police headcount to start on Monday

The Police force is set to begin its headcount starting  on Monday June 18, the Nile Post has learnt.

Following his appointment as Inspector General of Police, Martin Okoth Ochola in March ordered for a headcount in Uganda Police Force to establish the actual number of serving officers countrywide as one of the ways to professionalize it.

His predecessor and now jailed Gen.Kale Kayihura had indicated that the force was currently having a total of 43000 officers.

In a message on June 15 by Assistant Commissioner of Police, William Okalany, the Professional Standards Unit commander, the exercise will begin with units, divisions and regions within Kampala before rolling out to upcountry regions and districts.

“All personnel working within a district or division regardless of their mother units will be verified from that particular area where they are attached,” says in part the message to all units by the PSU commander.

“The audit teams will be assisted by RPCs and DPCs to ensure that commanders of such personnel are notified to attend the exercise.”

According to the message, each DPC is expected to organize not more than two audit centres whereas unit commanders are supposed to update their nominal rolls, a copy of which will be availed to the audit team on arrival.

“Each personnel will fill a manpower audit form before proceeding to the audit team for verification.”

According to the message by the Professional Standards Unit commander, all personnel are expected to present a recent passport photo, police number, bank account number, TIN number, National Identity Card number, date of enlist into the force, date of posting to current station and date of last promotion.

“Personnel that will be unaccounted for at the end of the exercise will be deleted from the payroll,” says the message.

Speaking while handing over office, Kayihura said he had elevated the police force from a bad shape of 18,000 officers that he found it with 12 years back to 43,000 officers at the hand over.

“In spite of the recent bad image, I am handing over a police force that is in better shape than the one I found. The force is now built on a solid foundation. And in spite of the setbacks, we are moving in the right direction,” Gen Kayihura said.

Despite the claims of 43000 personnel by the former police boss, this number looks too big considering a number of officers who have deserted the force in the recent years.

An audit recently indicated that at least 3,500 police officers had reportedly deserted the force in the last three years between 2014 and 2017.

The officers who deserted were mostly from the Field Force Unit, Anti- Stock Theft Unit(ASTU) and Tourism Police who are mainly deployed in neglected  areas and their salaries always delay prompting them to leave the force to do other things.

Recently it was found out that many police officers leave the force to go for greener pastures abroad.