Internal Affairs minister General Aronda Nyakayirima has a key message for the police senior officers – devote as much time to training as you possibly can.
Addressing the senior management corps of the Uganda Police Force mid November, the minister urged them to dedicate all the peaceful time whenever the police officers are not in operations, for training.
Internal Affairs minister General Aronda Nyakayirima has a key message for the police senior officers – devote as much time to training as you possibly can.
Addressing the senior management corps of the Uganda Police Force mid November, the minister urged them to dedicate all the peaceful time whenever the police officers are not in operations, for training.
To drive the point home, he quoted from the revolutionary fighter Che Guevara, who called for constant vigilance, mobility and mistrust.
General Aronda underscored the importance of Non Commissioned Officers (corporals sergeants…), and called for special courses to be tailored for them because of the crucial role they play in implementing the force leaders’ plans.
The NCOs being directly in charge of the troops on the ground greatly influence the rate of success of any plan, the senior officers were reminded. This is because the it is the NCO who supervise the troops, enforce discipline to ensure that all plans are properly implemented. He recalled that the during Operation Iron Fist (which dislodged the rebel LRA from Uganda) the UPDF paid extra attention to the training of NCOs as our troops entered into the Sudan after securing permission from the Sudanese government.
Besides NCOs’ training, the general reminded the UPF commanders that it is crucial to train equipment handlers well. The modern equipment being acquired by the police is a force multiplier, he said, and it must be handled by competent crew.
On the need for officers to keep perfecting their weapon handling skills, the general was quick to note that marksmanship in police is even more complicated than in the army as it is intended to have the opposite effect. While the army trains to kill the opponent as quickly as possible, the police must avoid killing at all times and perfect shooting to only temporarily disable.
But above all, the minister reminded the police commanders to instill and maintain discipline in the force. He also emphasized the importance of promoting the spirit of teamwork in the force as the way to maximize achievement.
Police officers at all levels were urged to always nurture cooperation with the people, for it is from the people that the most important intelligence can be obtained.
For the police personnel’s personal development, the general urged the force leadership to train all their men and women in financial literacy. He said UPF should prevent “situations where people receive their salary at midday and by three in the afternoon are already hungrily waiting for next month’s pay.
Aronda also called for the promotion of hygiene in barracks, saying poor sanitation around the living quarters should by now be a thing of the past. On HIV, he encouraged all force members to get tested because treatment is now available.
On a positive note, General Aronda said the conditions have never been more favourable for the Uganda Police to develop qualitatively. He listed the key factors enhancing UPF’s ability to push for faster development today as:
1-Stability that reigns in the whole of Uganda, with even Karamoja which used to operate like a separate state with different rules now under control
2-Interforces cooperation which is very rare to encounter anywhere in the world. In Uganda, the police, army, prisons and the intelligence services all pull together for the good of the country.
3-Keen interest of the President and Commander in Chief who is always willing to advise and help support good initiatives
A fast growing economy growing at 5.8% which makes more budgetary resources available for developing the force. The minister acknowledged the role played by police to protect the economy.
Synergies with other sectors in the country that can be exploited to exploited for the general good. In this vein he put the police on notice to help strengthen the crucial but long-neglected Immigration services who arm in charge of all of the country’s borders but could not be allowed to grow for years because of an across the board freeze on establishment (recruitment).
