IMPLMENTING COMMUNITY
POLICING :
UGANDA’S EXPERIENCE
ASAN KASINGYE
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE FOR COMMUNITY
AFFAIRS UGANDA POLICE FORCE
A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE INTERNATIONAL
POLICE EXECUTIVE SYMPOSIUM, TENTH
ANNUAL MEETING, OCT, 11 – 16, 2003,
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN.
I.1. INTRODUCTION
• Brief analysis of the historical background of the
police.
• State of police relations.
• The rationale for introduction of the community
policing approach in the country’s policing system.
• Highlight of challenges of implementation of
community policing approach in Uganda.
• Suggestion of remedial action.
• Paper is based on the findings of my study
entitled “Implementation of community
policing in Uganda: A case study of
Kampala and Luwero districts”.
• Experience gained as head of the
department responsible for community
policing in Uganda police.
1.2 Brief Background of Uganda
Police Force
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Department in the Ministry of Internal affairs
headed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
It is established under Article 212 of the
Constitution of Uganda.
Its major functions include protection of life and
property and prevention and detection of crime.
The police force in Uganda was introduced by
the colonial government in 1906.
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To ensure maximum expropriation of the
colony’s resources for the benefit of the British,
the police was used as an instrument of
oppression and not as a service to the public.
The post – colonial police force has largely
remained accountable and answerable to the state
rather than to the public.
Trend of events in Uganda since 1966 – 1986.
a) Political turmoil and illegitimate or unpopular
governments.
b) The political and civil stife crippled government’s
ability to combat crime and maintain law and order.
c) Poor economic prospects and massive unemployment
provided motivation for the people to commit crimes.
(d) The decay of government machinery and
degeneration of public morals crippled the institutions
and process of social control.
(e) The capacity of the Uganda police to deal decisvely
with this level of crime has been inadequate in terms
of logistics and trained manpower.
 In 1986 the need to involve communities in
combating crime became more prominent.
 To win back the trust and confidence of the members
of the public in their police force and forge a
partnership with them to fight crime, a more pro –
active approach to pocing known as çommunity
policing’was initiated in 1989.
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The programme was then re – invigorated in
1993 on a national scale with the following
objectives:a) To establish an effective and efficient policing system
with the assistance of the public to prevent crime.
b) To sensitise the communities on crime and its control.
c) To promote open and honest relations between the
police and the public.
d) To enhance greater accountability in policing to
members of the public.
e) To ensure that policing priorities tally with
community or local security needs
f) To help promote and foster respect for human
rights by the police.
g) To improve the quality of police services and
integrate them into community life.
1.3 Statement of the problem
• There seems to be little impact on the ground.
• The public, local communities and police seem to
be relactant in embracing the policy.
• The crime rate has remained high or even growing.
• Big outcry of corruption by the public against the
police.
• Problem with the image of the police.
1.4 Concept of community
policing
• In terms of elimination, suppression, and
prevention of crime in society, the two are
synonymous and reinforcing .
• Singh, J. (2000: 127) “crime is a community
problem created by societal issues, dynamics and
failures, and not just a police issue or an indication
of its effectiveness. Police effectiveness and
public order can not be greatly enhanced unless
the community can be persuaded to do more for
itself”.
• It creates new roles for residents to become
involved in securing safe neighbourhoods.
(Skogan, et. Al. 2000: 7).
• Malcolm, (1998: 1) “the concept of
community policing envisages a police
department striving for an absence of crime
and disorder and concerned with, and
sensitive to, the quality of life in the
community. It perceives the communty as
an agent and partner in promoting security
rather than as a passive audience.
• Bayley (1994 a) and cited in (Gianakis and
Davis, 1998; 486) identified the basic
elements of community policing as;
“ Consultation with community groups regarding
their security needs; command devolution so
that those closest to the community can
determine how best to respond to those needs;
mobilisation of agencies other than the police to
assist in addressing those needs; and remedying
the conditions that generate crime and
insecurity through focused problem solving”.
• Way of policing, whereby the people in an area
and the local police act together to prevent crime
and disorder, Collin (1992:46).
• Community policing therefore, focuses attention
on police partnership with the communities it
serves. Its intention is to produce a cooperate
process of identifying police priorities and to
provide a more efficient method of chieving
results by a joint effort of the police and the
communities it serves. The community should
however, be at the center of this process.
• 1.5
• 1.5.1
• 1.5.2
• 1.5.3
Special challenges to the
implementation of community
policing in Uganda
Conceptualisation of community
policing in Uganda: Danger of mis
– understanding the concept.
Design of community Policing:
Wrong options
Management of Community
Policing Programme.
• 1.5.4
• 1.5.5
• 1.5.6
• 1.5.7
General Training and Involvement
of the Police personnel in
Community Policing: Challenge
of changing a culture of resistance
and sabotage
Recruitment and Trainng of CLOs:
A challenge to sustainability.
Deployment / Placement of CLOs
Status of CLOs: A sure morale
booster
• 1.5.8
The Role of Government and
Volunteers in the Community
Policing Programme: A case of
persistent mistrust.
• 1.5.9
Image of the Police and Nature of
Relations that exist between the
Police and Public: A case of
resistance and suspicion.
• 1.5
Conclusion
• While community policing is a very important
programme in law enforcement and restoration of
order in society, its impact is slow.
1.6 Recommendations
• The community policing model should not only be
viewed from a police centered approach but also
from that of the community.
• The police must integrate community policing
training in its general training programme
• The police service must find ways of improving
its image and customer care through aggressive
marketing of its programmes
• Clos should be carefully selected in skills of how
to handle people.
• Trained CLOs should not be frequently transfered.
• There is need to recruit carefully selected
community policng volunteers from the
communities and train them in community
policing.
• While community policing involves greater
partnerships between police and communities they
serve, there is definitely need for political support
• Management and good policies such as
human resource management and
development are vital for proper
implementation of community policing.
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