In a bid to protect traffic police officers against further attacks, Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga, while addressing the press yesterday, announced that the Police will be equipping constables with pistols.
He made the pronouncements following a tragic incident that happened over the weekend, in which Constable Robert Mukebezi got shot in the leg by an escort UPDF officer as he was trying to tow the vehicle of his commander which had been involved in a minor accident.
Enanga condemned the act of the UPDF officer saying it was “quite embarrassing, and an act of brutality, impunity and lawlessness.”
Giving his thoughts on the same, RX Radio’s James Onen said, “To me, this is a good development although it's ironic that they need to protect themselves, and not against criminals but against themselves. Because if they were to use the guns to protect themselves against gangs or thieves, that would make sense but if they need them for protection against the army, that just shows that the system is broken,” he said.
Adding to that, he said that it shows the failure of the Government to induct discipline into the army by keeping their activities in check.
Olive Najjuma, a Co-host on the Show, explained that not only do low-ranking UPDF officers inflict attacks on traffic officers but also their superiors who they report to, setting a bad example for their subordinates.
Fatboy asked her whether the solution would be creating a bond between the two groups; for instance social gatherings to help them see themselves as a team rather than as adversaries.
Olive in her response said, “One group (the army) feels that they are superior to the other. So I think the Commander in Chief himself needs to police his people better because the things these people do show that they have no respect for authority and that questions the position of the person on top, who unfortunately is the President.”
She added, “Enanga has a boss who is the IGP, probably this is the time when the high ranking officers in the police, army and the President get to a round table and talk about strategies of how to police their people.”
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, Sarah and Lesham every weekday from 6am to 10am on RX Radio.
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