21 June 2008
editorial
The speaker of parliament Mr Edward Ssekandi was on Wednesday afternoon forced to adjourn a session to allow legislators time to 'cool their emotions' after the Minister of Internal Affairs gave an unconvincing statement about the continued police brutality.
Instead of taking responsibility for the unprofessional conduct of the police force in enforcing public order, Dr Rugunda, himself a very civil gentleman, tried to unreasonably justify the wanton conduct of police officers.
He also repeated the Attorney General Kiddu Makubuya's insistence that the police have powers to prohibit public assemblies and demonstrations contrary to the recent Constitutional Court ruling that such powers are illegitimate.
For starters, our leaders need to appreciate and respect the rule of law if their subordinates and in this case the regular men and women in armed service have to follow suit. It's unfortunate that senior members of cabinet, the Attorney General and Minister of Internal affairs can ridicule or outrightly refuse to respect a court verdict.
What signals are they sending to those who serve under them especially the officers that carry guns and tear-gas on our streets? This is blatant abuse of office that has to be resisted by the citizens of this country.
It's time that government with the help of parliament developed a policing strategy that is in line with the democratic values enshrined in our constitution. This strategy should have a drastic and evident shift from 'regime' policing to what in the more advanced democracies is called 'democratic' policing.
Democratic policing calls for all the armed forces to be accountable to the law and not be the law unto themselves. The Constitutional Court has already pronounced itself on this matter; and stated that the police powers should be regulatory and not prohibitive.
We need the police to ensure peace on our streets, to protect people's property; to apprehend criminals and have them prosecuted. But the police should not be used by government to stifle civil liberties. The Criminal Procedure Act bars police from employing more force than is reasonable to effect arrest of an offender.
The Inspector General of Police, Kale Kayihura, himself a human rights scholar, is working to transform the force but this transformation should be for the common good of all Ugandans. Let's end this sickening police brutality.
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