A special police force to handle riots and other unauthorized gatherings in the country has been passed out. The training aimed at equipping police on new skills of riot control instead of using teargas.
The force comprises of Officers from the Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces mainly from the Presidential Guard Brigade and the regular Police. It has been trained by the South African Police which has experience in handling riots.
Speaking at the pass out, the State Minister for Internal Affairs Matiya Kasaija, says that for long, the Police has wrongly been using teargas to disperse people in order to keep law and order.
Kasaija also says that the government is in the final stages to improve on the poorly funded police department. Improvement in funding the police will see an end to poor accommodation facilities, wrecked vehicles and lack of office furniture.
Kasaija however, defends government’s militarization of the police force. This is despite that the constitution provides that the police are civil force, which is supposed to be non partisan and act as shield between the government and public.
The Minister further reveals government plans to amend the Police act in order to give more powers to the Police to handle riots.
The Inspector General of Police Major General Kaihura says that the special police force will rebuild the police image and regain public confidence. Kaihura notes that Ant-riot Police officers have been using excessive teargas that affected even innocent people including children.
Major General Kaihura says the formation of the Public Order unit will prevent the spread of teargas among people not involved in riots.
This is the first time that the Uganda Police Force is receiving specialized training by an African country. Britain , France and America are the countries that have offered training to the force.
These are the same Ant- riot vehicles codenamed Nyalas, that failed to break while under instruction by the British Royal Police and damaged over 6 private cars along Dustur, Street Kampala. The Nyalas were purchased from South Africa where they are no longer operational following the end of apartheid in 1994.
