Community Voices on Crime Prevention and Security
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"IT'S KATOGO OUT THERE!" Community Voices on Crime Prevention and Security ISBN: 978-9970-535-04-0 “IT’S KATOGO OUT THERE!” Community Voices on Crime Prevention and Security Acknowledgments Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Uganda would like to thank all dialogue participants whose voices have contributed to this publication and the local leaders without whose support the dialogues could not have taken place. In particular, FES would like to extend its gratitude to the offices of the Minister of State for Kampala Beti Kamya, the Resident City Commissioner Deborah Mbabazi, and the Deputy Resident City Commissioners, the Lord Mayor of Kampala Erias Lukwago and the mayors of Kampala City’s five divisions Kampala Central, Makindye, Kawempe, Rubaga and Nakawa. ISBN No. 978-9970-535-04-0 Published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Kampala, Uganda 5B John Babiiha Avenue P.O Box 3860 www.fes-uganda.org Cover Picture: Jimmy Spire Ssentongo Cover Design: Ivan Barigye The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this volume are attributed to individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). FES does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. FES bears no responsibility for oversights, mistakes or omissions. The sale or commercial use of all media published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is prohibited without the written consent of FES. Copyright: This work is licenced under the Creative Commons’ Attribution – NonCommercial i Acknowledgments Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Uganda would like to thank all dialogue participants whose voices have contributed to this publication and the local leaders without whose support the dialogues could not have taken place. In particular, FES would like to extend its gratitude to the offices of the Minister of State for Kampala Beti Kamya, the Resident City Commissioner Deborah Mbabazi, and the Deputy Resident City Commissioners, the Lord Mayor of Kampala Erias Lukwago and the mayors of Kampala City’s five divisions Kampala Central, Makindye, Kawempe, Rubaga and Nakawa. ISBN No. 978-9970-535-04-0 Published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Kampala, Uganda 5B John Babiiha Avenue P.O Box 3860 www.fes-uganda.org Cover Picture: Jimmy Spire Ssentongo Cover Design: Ivan Barigye The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this volume are attributed to individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). FES does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. FES bears no responsibility for oversights, mistakes or omissions. The sale or commercial use of all media published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is prohibited without the written consent of FES. Copyright: This work is licenced under the Creative Commons’ Attribution – NonCommercial i Table of Contents List of Acronyms Acknowledgements i CID Criminal Investigations Directorate CLO Community Liaison Officer List of Acronyms iii CBP Community-based Policing 1. Introduction: The FES community policing project 1 COP Community Policing 2. Summary and key results 4 DISO District Internal Security Officer (Kampala: Division Internal Security Officer) 3. Principles and values of community policing 7 DPC District Police Commander (Kampala: Division Police Commander) GISO Gombolola Internal Security Officer 3.1 An ambiguous concept in search of best practices 7 IGP Inspector General of Police 3.2 Community policing: Good cops, trust and democracy 11 ISO Internal Security Organisation 3.3 Opinion: Return to the basics! 14 KCCA Kampala Capital City Authority 4. The historical and legal framework for community 16 KMP Kampala Metropolitan Police policing in Uganda LC Local Council 5. Community voices on crime prevention & security 21 LCI Village Local Council LCII Parish Local Council 5.1 A katogo of concepts, actors & practices 22 LCIII Sub-county Local Council 5.2 Community driven initiatives and the concept of Mayumba Kumi 24 LDU Local Defence Unit Monitoring, information sharing and patrols 24 NRA National Resistance Army Mediation, arbitration and punishment 30 NRM National Resistance Movement OC Officer-in-Charge (of police station) Striving to improve livelihoods 32 PSV Public Service Vehicle 5.3 Crime preventers – or crime promoters? 35 RCs Resistance Councils A force with an unclear mandate 36 RCC Resident City Commissioner Lack of payment, criminal behaviour and bribery 40 RDC Resident District Commissioner SPC Special Police Constable 5.4 Police - community relations: A crisis of trust 42 UPDF Uganda People’s Defence Forces Corruption and bribery 45 UPF Uganda Police Force Poor welfare and facilitation 46 5.5 The local council system as the anchor of local law and order 48 6. Common practices of self-policing and human rights 50 7. Recommendations 53 ii iii Table of Contents List of Acronyms Acknowledgements i CID Criminal Investigations Directorate CLO Community Liaison Officer List of Acronyms iii CBP Community-based Policing 1. Introduction: The FES community policing project 1 COP Community Policing 2. Summary and key results 4 DISO District Internal Security Officer (Kampala: Division Internal Security Officer) 3. Principles and values of community policing 7 DPC District Police Commander (Kampala: Division Police Commander) GISO Gombolola Internal Security Officer 3.1 An ambiguous concept in search of best practices 7 IGP Inspector General of Police 3.2 Community policing: Good cops, trust and democracy 11 ISO Internal Security Organisation 3.3 Opinion: Return to the basics! 14 KCCA Kampala Capital City Authority 4. The historical and legal framework for community 16 KMP Kampala Metropolitan Police policing in Uganda LC Local Council 5. Community voices on crime prevention & security 21 LCI Village Local Council LCII Parish Local Council 5.1 A katogo of concepts, actors & practices 22 LCIII Sub-county Local Council 5.2 Community driven initiatives and the concept of Mayumba Kumi 24 LDU Local Defence Unit Monitoring, information sharing and patrols 24 NRA National Resistance Army Mediation, arbitration and punishment 30 NRM National Resistance Movement OC Officer-in-Charge (of police station) Striving to improve livelihoods 32 PSV Public Service Vehicle 5.3 Crime preventers – or crime promoters? 35 RCs Resistance Councils A force with an unclear mandate 36 RCC Resident City Commissioner Lack of payment, criminal behaviour and bribery 40 RDC Resident District Commissioner SPC Special Police Constable 5.4 Police - community relations: A crisis of trust 42 UPDF Uganda People’s Defence Forces Corruption and bribery 45 UPF Uganda Police Force Poor welfare and facilitation 46 5.5 The local council system as the anchor of local law and order 48 6. Common practices of self-policing and human rights 50 7. Recommendations 53 ii iii 1. Introduction: The FES community policing project Background The Uganda Police Force (UPF) celebrated its centenary under the theme “from colonial policing to community policing” in October 2014 and has since re-emphasised community policing at all levels. Community policing is a broad concept which encompasses a wide range of forms of state and non-state policing across the globe. At its core, community policing means an active partnership between police and communities to foster public law and order through crime prevention and a relationship of mutual trust between police and communities. Scholars define community policing as ‘…a policy and a strategy aimed at achieving more effective and efficient crime control, reduced fear of crime, improved quality of life, improved police services and police legitimacy, through a proactive reliance on community resources, that seeks to change crime causing conditions. This assumes a need for greater accountability of police, greater public share in decision making, and greater concern for civil rights and liberties.’ 1 Whereas there is a commonly shared understanding of the two pillars of community policing which are (1) crime prevention and (2) improved police-community relations among community, police and local government, there is a glaring absence of a comprehensive and coherent legal and policy framework that translates these principles into practical guidelines for community policing on an everyday basis in Uganda. This poses significant risks as is evident in a Saferworld study (2008) on community-based policing (CBP) in Kenya which warned that ‘A lack of a unified approach defined by a national policy has resulted in a proliferation of initiatives, some of which do not adhere to the principles of CBP. The delay in the development and ratification of a national policy has also led to confusion and ambiguity as to what the concept of CBP actually means in practice. […]In other parts of the country there is evidence that the term ‘community policing’ has been used by unscrupulous groups essentially to justify vigilante activities – undermining public perceptions of the term.’2 Community policing in Uganda is a topical issue but also touches on the very foundations of security governance under the National Resistance Movement (NRM) since 1986. Uganda has practised various forms of non-state policing over the past three decades and at local level, a variety of state and non-state actors participate in ensuring the maintenance of public law, order and security. 1 Friedmann, R. ‘Community Policing: Comparative Perspectives and Prospects,’ New York: St. Martin’s Press 1992, p 4. 2 Saferworld, ‘Implementing Community Based Policing in Kenya’. Saferworld, 2008,