Stop telephoning individual officers for help- police

The police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kituuma Rusoke

Police have deployed at least 1,275 counter phone lines to its operational sub county police stations in a bid to increase timely reporting of incidents and to discourage the public from reaching out to individual officers they know personally.

The Sub County Policing Model (SCPM) was adopted from the strategic guidance by President Museveni during his address to the 25th Annual Police Council meeting held at Police Headquarters, Kampala in 2019.

The police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kituuma Rusoke told journalists in Kampala on Monday that are discouraging the public from contacting individual officers as it can delay the official police response and bypasses formal reporting protocols.

“’Officers can be contacted in matters that require like disciplinary interventions. So, all responsible citizens are urged to obtain and keep counter phone numbers for their respective areas, whether of residence, workplace, or business depending where you have interest,” ACP Kituuma said.

He said Ugandans are encouraged to have these contacts because if someone lives in an apartment or an estate in a certain area or have a farm in a certain rural area, it is important to have such police establishments so that in the event of a challenge which require police intervention, one can make an immediate call for quick help.

“’Our community liaison officers, CLOs, and the Public Relations Officers (PROs) have been tasked to promote and popularize the circulation of use of these numbers within the communities they serve for efficient service delivery,” Mr Rusoke said.

ACP Rusoke said during police investigation of some cases a lot time is usually lost during communication.

“This is because the victim does not have the contact of police, and therefore, they go through a network of friends and much time is consumed. By the time the complaint or information reaches the police, you find that it has been distorted,” he added.

Challenges

Contacting the Uganda Police Force (UPF) has over time proved challenging for some Ugandans due to infrastructure gaps, limited public awareness of official channels, and systemic institutional issues. While the police are currently deploying more counter-phones to improve accessibility, several significant hurdles remain.

One of the challenges is that many Ugandans do not have the direct phone numbers for their nearest police station or the specific "Officer in Charge" (OC). Relying on 999 or 112 can lead to delays because calls may be transferred multiple times before reaching the correct local unit.

There have been persistent technical obstacles with the national emergency call centers (999 and 112), although the police are reportedly working with the Uganda Communications Commission to rectify these.

Historical issues with human rights violations, brutality, and perceived bias (especially in political matters) have created a trust gap, making some Ugandans hesitant to contact the police at all.