Africa-Press – Uganda. The district police commanders (DPCs) in Mbarara City have raised an alarm over the lack of enough patrol vehicles to do community policing.
In 2020, Mbarara was given a city status and the government created divisions of Mbarara City South and Mbarara City North to enable effective service delivery.
Police authorities later sub-divided the city into three policing divisions of North Division, which covers Kakiika and Biharwe, South Division (Nyamitanga and Nyakayojo), and Central Division (Kamukuzi and Kakooba) whose headquarters are at Mbarara Central Police Station.
Each of these divisions is commanded by a DPC to ensure peace and security, but the three division DPCs share one vehicle to patrol the city at night.
The DPC of South Division, ASP Kellen Namara, said sharing the vehicle has become a challenge.
“Lack of a vehicle at our station is affecting our work, but they promised us that before the financial year ends, they will have given us vehicles,” she said.
The locals are now decrying increasing crime in the city.
Ms Christine Kemigisha, a resident of Mbarara City South Division, said on January 3, she was attacked and beaten by unknown people, but when she reported her case at Mbarara Central Police Station (CPS), she could not get help.
“It was around 10 pm in the night when some people came and attacked me from my home and I immediately ran to Mbarara CPS, but when I reached there, they called the patrol vehicle to go to my place, but they could not come since they were far,” she said.
The Mbarara City Internal Security officer, Mr Elly Tugaine while addressing Mbarara City councillors last year, requested the city leadership to procure vehicles for police to guarantee security to the residents.
“We request city leaders and officials that we can at least get the two vehicles, one to be on standby in Biharwe and another one in Ruti, then this one at CPS can now handle Kakooba and Kamukuzi,’’ he said.
The Rwizi region police spokesperson, ASP Samson Kasasira, said the newly-created policing divisions in the city are being planned for. He encouraged the DPCs to share resources for now.
“The new divisions are being planned for by police headquarters. Currently, we share the motor vehicles, we have one for traffic, one for 999 and another one for CPS, those are three, in case of incidents, they call and we respond,” he said.
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
