The Uganda Police Force plans to recruit 3,000 cadet officers from among university graduates in engineering, medicine, information technology and other professional fields, according to a senior police source.
Besides engineering, medicine and IT, the source said, the force wants graduates in law, accounting, psychology, social work, environmental science and communication. The idea is to recruit people who arrive with technical skills, rather than send serving officers back to school to acquire them.
“The Police of today cannot be the Police of yesterday,” the source said.
According to the source, each profession fits a gap in investigations. IT graduates would support cybercrime work involving computer systems, digital evidence and data analysis. Accountants would help trace money and examine company records in financial crime cases. Engineers could assist in probes into fires, infrastructure failures and construction fraud, while doctors would strengthen forensic and medico-legal services.
The source said the graduates would still go through police training, and that their degrees were meant to complement it rather than make them instant specialists.
Recruitment is expected to begin before the end of the year and continue into the next financial year in phases.
The plan comes as the force faces staff shortages and a growing workload. Earlier this year, Inspector General of Police Abas Byakagaba announced the full rollout of the sub-county policing model. Under that model, each station would be staffed by an officer in charge and general-duty officers, along with personnel from specialised units, including the Criminal Investigations Directorate, Crime Intelligence, Family and Child Protection, and community liaison.
Byakagaba has repeatedly pointed to intelligence, forensic evidence, surveillance and community cooperation as central to modern policing.
The cadet programme has long been a route to the top of the force, with many of its graduates going on to senior command.
