A recent Inspectorate of Government report, critical of corruption in Uganda Police, has, surprisingly, been welcomed by the force.

Opening a three-day training for senior police and crime liaison officers in Kireka last week, Kampala Metropolitan Commander Andrew Felix Kaweesi said the report would help improve the police. The report, the fourth of its kind, ranked police as the most corrupt institution in the country, at 64 per cent in the last one year.

Speaking at the launch of the report at Hotel Africana on Monday, IGG Irene Mulyagonja said small bribes reported from various sectors added up to Shs 164m. She said that this money would be enough to buy delivery kits for Ugandan mothers for four years.

“I agree with the IGG’s report because police is the only institution that interacts with the general public 24/7. Most of those interviewed for the report are not responsible people in office but petty criminals who are in and out of police cells; those interviewing them find them accessible on the streets and you don’t expect them to say anything good about police,” Kaweesi said.

He said, however, that some of the findings would help police change its ways. He said it was true some individual policemen asked and took bribes.

Kaweesi said when celebrations to mark 100 years of police existence peak on October 3, 2014, police would lean towards being a more professional and people-friendly institution. He said reckless policemen would not be tolerated in the next century.

Kaweesi also urged policemen to avoid going to bars with guns, because they might be tempted to use them during conflicts.

“There is lack of total commitment. Some policemen think they are bosses and not servants of the people. Someone reports a robbery and you go to the scene minus a dog and you end up turning yourselves into dogs and by the time you ferry real dogs there, the crime scene is already tampered with,” Kaweesi added.

He said as police rebranded, many things would change, such as avoiding the arrest of suspects when investigations are not complete. He said even those arrested for fear of escaping, would not be held beyond 48 working hours. The training, facilitated by the clergy, media experts and police officers, was organized and sponsored by John Paul II Justice and Peace Centre (JPJPC), a Catholic NGO.