The Uganda Police Force on 12th August 2014 joined the youths world over to celebrate the International Youth day in Moroto under the theme “Youth and mental health”.
The Uganda Police force recognizes that the youths’ potential in Uganda as the push path to the country’s development and the Force prides in the good working relationship the youths and the Police have nurtured over the years.
And as the Uganda Police Force celebrates 107 years, the police pledge to strengthen this relationship. Police programs such as Community policing, Traffic and Road safety campaign, Child and Family protection clinics, anti-terrorism campaign, physical fitness promotion and several others therefore are more inclined towards the youths in Uganda.
Over the years, youths have been targeted by perpetrators of crimes as well as being recruited to commit the crimes, a case in point here; over three quarters of the suspects in cases of drug trafficking in and out of Uganda are youths. In the same vein, many of the mental patients at Butabika Hospital are youths. These statistics imply that there is an outstanding relationship between crime and mental health, and in particular points to drug abuse as one of the key stimulator for poor Mental Health among the young people.
Globally, the world loses 20% of her young people to mental illnesses. As mandate, to protect life and property, the Uganda Police Force continues to pledge support in fighting threats to life which are both predictable and preventable such as drugs which include; Marijuana, Cocaine, Nicotine and others remains illegal in Uganda, and in many other countries world wide.
In a presentation made by Catherine Bradshaw to the United Nations on Mental Health of Youth, the Professor of education named Uganda among countries with a history of wars and low resources. With such a record, increased crime rates would only predict doom.
The Uganda Police force therefore will continue to partner with all non-governmental and Governmental organizations to ensure that the youthful energies of the country as young people are gainfully utilized and criminals apprehended.
