The foundations of Uganda's modern police force were laid on this day in 1906 when the colonial administration officially renamed the Uganda Armed Constabulary to the Uganda Protectorate Police, a move widely recognised as the birth of organised policing in Uganda.
Before the change, policing in the British protectorate was handled by the Uganda Armed Constabulary, a heavily militarised force established in 1899 to suppress resistance, protect colonial installations and maintain British authority.
The unit operated largely as a paramilitary outfit, relying on military discipline and force rather than civilian policing structures.
The transition gathered momentum with the arrival of Captain William F.S. Edwards, later Brigadier-General Edwards, who formally took over as the first Inspector General of Police of the newly established Uganda Protectorate Police.
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Edwards was regarded as a strict disciplinarian and capable administrator, and his appointment marked the beginning of efforts to transform the force into a more structured law enforcement institution.
Under Edwards, the force began introducing organised administrative systems, including formal police records, investigative reporting procedures and systematic training. The reforms gradually shifted policing away from purely military operations toward a more bureaucratic civilian model.
The modernisation drive continued rapidly. By 1908, the force had opened its first fingerprint bureau in Kampala, introducing scientific criminal investigations to Uganda. By 1912, the police had expanded to 15 operational stations across the protectorate and created specialised sections dealing with traffic control, railway policing and communications.
The institution later underwent several political and structural transformations as Uganda moved toward independence. In 1962, Erinayo Wilson Oryema became the country's first indigenous Inspector General of Police, symbolising the transition from a colonial police force to a national institution serving an independent Uganda.
The post-independence period brought major instability, particularly during the 1970s and early 1980s when the police became heavily militarised amid political turmoil. Following the 1986 regime change, the force was drastically downsized and reorganised in an attempt to restore professionalism and rebuild public trust.
A major constitutional milestone came in 1995 when Article 212 of the Constitution formally established the Uganda Police Force and clearly outlined its civilian responsibilities, including protecting life and property, preserving law and order and preventing crime.
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Today, the institution headquartered in Naguru, Kampala, has evolved into a vast national security agency with specialised directorates covering forensic sciences, counter-terrorism, aviation support and nationwide surveillance systems under the leadership of current IGP Abbas Byakagaba.
