The Bushenyi District Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Ms Jane Asiimwe Muhindo has decried the rate at which the relationship between police and the public is deteriorating, especially during the Covid-19 induced lockdown.
“Seeing and hearing that people are running away from police even when they have not committed crime in an indicator of a relationship gone bad and the public has no trust and whenever they see police, they think they are going to be beaten,” Ms Asiimwe said.
Ms Asiimwe made the comments while appearing on a local radio at the weekend after residents from different areas of Bushenyi reported that they were being brutalised by police yet they have not offended anyone and that some police officers had been involved in grabbing and eating street vendors’ food.
“During such times (lockdown), community policing should be heightened especially at lower levels. But, we are going to talk to police for an improvement,’ she said.
She urged the affected residents to report their grievances to police commanders so that the officers involved are held accountable.
“Police has a chain of command regardless of the rank. There is a way we can get whoever is doing inhuman acts against the population. If it is true that some police enforcement team members have eaten the meat of residents out there, contact us and we shall investigate because such elements damage the reputation of the institution,” said Ms Asiimwe.
Commenting on the matter, the greater Bushenyi regional policing area spokesperson, Mr Martial Tumusiime on Monday condemned the brutal actions of their officers and asked them to conduct their work professionally because the Force is meant to serve all citizens.
“I suspect some people accusing police of brutality are the bar owners who want to operate during curfew time yet bars are not supposed to be open. It is understandable that some people operate businesses beyond curfew, but police officers should be human to understand before brutalizing people because there is always room for explanation,” Mr Tumusiime noted.
Adding, Mr Martial said: “It is not okay to see people run away from police because police are there for the people. Someone should be allowed to explain why they are late so that police can judge professionally.”