KAMPALA- The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martin Okoth Ochola has ordered for the immediate phasing-out of the Police wooden structures saying they are risky to the officers,
Wooden structures are mostly found in landing sites and in the island areas.
Ochola ordered the Police Deputy Director Logistics and Engineering SCP. Richard Edyegu to immediately replace wooden structures with metallic structures.
“Wooden structures are even risky to our Police officers. At least let’s start with structures made out of iron sheets,” he directed.
This was on weekend as the IGP responded to Buikwe district chairman, Mathias Kigongo who reported to him the bad state of police posts at landing sites like Kiyindi and Ssenyi which are mostly wooden.
Kigongo said these wooden structures are risking the lives of the police officers and the suspects in case of any fire outbreak.
Ochola had gone to officiate at the opening of the Ssezibwa Region Police headquarters which had been renovated by the management of the Sugar Cooperation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL).
The headquarters are found in Lugazi Municipality. The IGP also opened the new offices for the Family and Child Protection Police Unit constructed by the Makerere University Walter Reed Project (MUWRP).
Kigongo also reported to Ochola the Police detectives who sometimes intentionally mess up investigations into serious cases like defilement, murder and land just because they have been influenced by the suspects who offer them big sums of money at the expense of the poor victims.
“Unfortunately, some tell us frankly as we are on their necks that they are poorly paid yet they are also human beings who have demands which cannot be settled by the little money they receive as their monthly salary,” he said.
The IGP asked the director of criminal investigations department, Grace Akullo to take note of that and make a follow up so that the culprits are brought to book.
On the issue of the poor pay of the Police officers, Ochola said that government started increasing the salaries of the public servants but in phases saying that today, a corporal gets more money than a Police assistant inspector.
“The other day I had an assistant inspector who was complaining over that issue, I asked him to ask for a demotion back to the rank of a corporal in order to get more money,” he said.
