Kampala — THREE men have been arrested over attempting to bribe a Police commissioner.

Haruna Lukwago, Vincent Baguma and Adru Kalenzi are suspected to have been part of the robbery that the Police foiled at Sunrise Supermarket in Kampala, early this month.

The Police arrested four of the trio's colleagues. The three men, who had escaped, later surfaced and allegedly attempted to bribe the commandant of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) David Magara, with sh1.5m, last week.

It is said that they wanted the warrants of arrest against them dropped, and their colleagues released.

Magara identified the trio as part of a seven-man gang that was intercepted by the RRU during the foiled robbery.

"On that day, we managed to arrest their colleagues; Musa Nsereko, Patrick Othieno, Milton Ayom and Fred Manina."

Recovered from the men were a bottle of chloroform, a black polythene bag filled with house-breaking equipment, and a car in which they were to load their catch.

"They appeared in my office this morning (Friday) with the money. They were also begging for the release of their colleagues," the RRU chief said as he pulled out the sh20,000 notes from a white envelope.

"This is the group which has been robbing supermarkets and petrol stations in the city. There is no way I could get them off the hook," Magara said.

The Police force has for long been ranked among the most corrupt institutions in Uganda.

Passing out 127 officers at the Masindi Police training school in September, the Police chief, Kale Kayihura, said bribery was undermining the force and vowed to "severely" punish corrupt officers.

The trend, however, seems to be changing as senior Police officers are setting a good example. Early this year, traffic commissioner Steven Kasiima arrested a man who tried to bribe him with sh20,000, after he was caught driving recklessly on Entebbe Road.

The Police spokesperson, Judith Nabakooba, wondered why thugs would expect Police officers to be corrupt.

"Bribery no longer works in the Police. The force is determined to fight crime. This should serve as a warning to the public not to attempt to bribe our officers."