By The Homeland Media Team
President Museveni has once again warned the Police Force against corrupt tendencies that have been widely reported about.
Speaking on Sunday as he met senior police officers led by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Paul Lokech, Museveni said he will not entertain corruption in the law and order enforcement body.
“In the recent rankings, the cup of corruption was taken by police. You scored 70% in corruption and that means you got a distinction. Corruption in the Police Force should stop,”Museveni said.
The president said he has for many years been trying to ensure the police gets highly educated officers, noting that this war is still on
“The police people who were there(then) thought I was spoiling police. They said I was bringing people who are ambitious and wanted quick things.”
On brutality, Museveni insisted that there are procedures to be followed while carrying out arrests and quelling riots that he said must be followed.
“Do not harass, beat, push or bark at wanainchi for whatever reason. For retrogressive groups and hostile crowds, the security organs are guided by the legitimate means of the security forces on how to handle them. Do not let anybody threaten lives and property of Ugandans,”Museveni said.
According to the president, the issue of welfare of police officers including increased salaries are high on government’s agenda but noted this will be achieved when the economy stabilizes.
“We are continuing to deal with the welfare of security forces and when the economy permits, we shall definitely push up the salaries,” he said.
Speaking at the same function, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Paul Lokech noted that as the police management, they take seriously the president’s advice and that they would implement the same.
“It is true all that you have mentioned we have been following it very closely. Some of these mistakes are being corrected,”Lokech noted.
The president’s remarks on corruption come on the backdrop of a report by the Inspectorate of Government and Uganda Bureau of Statistics that ranked the police as the most corrupt government institution.
The Fourth National Integrity Survey report 2019/2020 released last month indicated that police scored 70% to lead other government institutions in corruption.
President Museveni has at almost every occasion warned police on corruption saying this has made the public lose confidence in them.
