NTUNGAMO – The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Muleterwa Anatoly who is also the Deputy head of Community Policing in the Uganda Police Force has blamed local leaders for being negligent and failing to play their role.
He also blamed poverty as another major cause of the rampant cases of crime in the country.
ASP Muleterwa was speaking to police officers and all local leaders during a community-policing event that was held in Ntungamo district on Thursday, July 10, 2019.
Mr Muleterwa lashed out at local leaders whom he criticised. Saying they have failed to execute their mandate of being conscious about the security of their residents leaving it to police.
The community policing was organised by Directorate of Political Commissariat of Police in conjunction with Ntungamo Police under the theme” the role of LC’s in security.”
Mr. Muleterwa noted that it is the role of local leaders to monitor and support the government projects which are aimed at curbing poverty levels at household levels in their areas.
“When people are in abject poverty and idle they will be forced to waylay well-off people in a bid to survive which will result into rape and murder,” he remarked.
He also added that the ignorance of local leaders about security matters and government programs has been a safe haven for greedy and selfish people to saboteur service delivery targeting local people hence leading to injustices.
Mr Muleterwa expressed his disappointment with the increasing cases of threatening violence, domestic violence and mob action saying that Ntungamo district was ranked the second in Rwizi region with 10 cases of defilement and rape after Isingiro, Mbarara and Kiruhuura districts which have individually registered 14 cases.
He, therefore, urged local council courts to be decisive while handling the civil cases in order to reverse the rampant cases in Ntungamo district.
Mr Muleterwa warned police against overlooking local council courts when they are trying their cases because they will lose morale.
Meanwhile, the Ntungamo district police commander Damiano Katwesiime tasked the local leaders to supplement police in keeping law and order if sanity is to prevail in the district.
Mr Katwesiime noted that Ntungamo has 20 police posts and 10 police stations with 212 police officers in 33 sub-counties and town councils meaning that each is being manned by 5 police officers who are still low compared to the population.
The District boss, Dennis Singahache hailed the Political Commissariat of police for reminding the local leaders of their roles, asking them to cascade the information to local communities.
The RDC Ntungamo, Bakunda George also appealed to all participants to strengthen the neighbours’ watch scheme and their vigilance to reduce crime in their areas of operations.
