Africa-Press – Uganda. Makerere University through its Research and Innovation Fund (Mak-RIF) is set start training enforcement officers from across the country in soft skills.
According to Dr Badru Musisi, the principal investigator in the project dubbed, “Soft skilling initiative for effective community policing,” the idea was birthed in the wake of the public outcry over unwarranted police brutality which was widely reported in the media.
The training is expected to be rolled out next year.
“There was a growing disconnect between the police and the Wananchi. The idea of community policing is for police to work hand in hand with the community to keep law and order,” he said during a police officers’ training workshop at Senior Police Command College, Bwebajja.
He said when Makerere University tasked him to write projects that fall under the government priority areas, one of the priority areas was about defense, security and peace.
Dr Musisi said they will be training police officers in the training schools and colleges, who will then pass on the skills to the cadets in different police training schools and colleges.
He revealed that the whole project is expected to cost government more than Shs700 million.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Grace Mutono, director staff at the Senior Police Command College, Bwebajja said the soft skills will help to establish a good relationship between police and the public. ”We hope for a free flow of information. There will be handling of criminality with a lot of ease. Where a police officer does not use soft skills, it becomes hard because they will use a hardlined approach only,” he noted.
Prof Christopher B. Mugimu, CO-Principal Investigator of the project said the training will change the mindset of people and bring them closer to the police as well as ease handling of sensitive issues with a lot of professionalism.
“We see most of the times you use force. This will change the image of the police. You are likely to get more support from the communities,” he said.
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