The Inspector General of Police, Okoth Ochola, has directed all territorial police commanders and investigating officers to begin photographing all victims of mob justice for future reference.
According to him, this is will help save the image of police as well as tax payers money by fraudsters who turn against the law enforcement body and falsely accuse it of torture and human rights abuse.
Addressing the press in Kampala, police spokesperson Fred Enanga revealed that previous interactions between police and the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) revealed that a number of victims who are rescued from angry mobs and some of them after serving their sentences turn against the police and accuse it of torture.
"A concern came up that victims of mob justice who are rescued from aggresive mobs by police and taken for first aid and treatment. Some of whom are charged charged because of the offences but once they are released, they come back and turn against the police and report that those injuries were inflicted on them by police and they start suing government for compulsory awards," Enanga said.
He said that this is wrong and police codemns this behavoir and promised to persue those who make such falsefications.
As a result, the spokesperson told the pressmen that the IGP has given new instructions to all territorial commamders to save the image of the law enforcement agency from malicious criminals.
"The IGP has tasked all teritorial commanders to ensure that wherever they rescue victims of mob justice, before registering cases and even treatment or going ahead to charge them to court, thier photos should be taken atleast for record purposes for future reference because we are dealing with suspected criminals some of whom are not trustworthy," he said.
Ochola directed that the whole process from rescue to treatment should be recorded on video and still photographs. Even when examining them, he encouraged investigating officers to clearly indicate that the injuries on the victim were inflicted when they were being beaten by an angry mob.
Although the Uganda police force has been accused of human rights violations, this comes on the heels of reports that victims of mob justice and other road accident survivors are being paraded by some politicians as torture victims of the police and sister security agencies to some human rights organisations.
