While presiding over the closure of Kampala Metropolitan Police Basic Management (3rd Intake) at Kigo Marine Base on Saturday, marked Brigadier Sabiti Muzeeyi’s first task as a Deputy Inspector General of Police. The course derives its origin from the police council resolution requiring all directorates, departments and regions to conduct regular internal capacity building programs for personnel and to embrace the idea of internal training.
Among the major issues addressed in this course are fitness, time management, discipline, teamwork, response to emergency calls, attitude towards work, working relationship between juniors and their commanders, mental preparedness, operational mistakes committed overtime like shooting of innocent citizens due to stray bullets and missed targets, among others.
Brig. Sabiiti advised officers to endure and remain healthy especially in the current waves of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B in order to serve longer in the force and to provide support to their families.
“You should fight stigma, for stigma is for those that are not aware”,he said.
He thanked the spouses for the endurance and support throughout the training and urged trainees to use the skills in a manner that builds the image and mandate of the Uganda Police Force.
“One of the critical requirements in professionalizing the force is capacity building so as to equip officers with necessary skills to handle the necessary contemporary policing demands”, he revealed.
With this, he therefore implored the RPC Greater Masaka to increase the number of trainees in the upcoming subsequent intakes. Sabiiti reminded the officers of a famous quotation by Edmund Burke that says “Evil exists when good men do nothing”. Its through this submission that he thanked Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander CP. Frank Mwesigwa and team for the wise initiative.
“Kama unauwezo unatipa sila unakimbia kazi (literally meaning no officer has the power to throw his/her riffle and desert or run away from duty). A man of value does not runaway from responsibility and the responsibility of an officer is to protect life and property of Ugandans”, Brig. Muzeeyi said.
On the militarization of the police, Brig. Sabiiti revealed that the country needs to know that the policing environment has changed overtime.
“It encompasses violent criminals in local societies, organized and transnational crimes where police has to respond as the first line of defense in national security. The police should at all times be ready to perform functions of a military force as guided by the Police Act”, he said.
