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Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Police Professional Standards Unit has warned police officers against taking internal grievances to social media in search of justice or public sympathy, saying such actions breach police discipline and can expose officers to further disciplinary action.
SSP Joseph Kirabo, the PSU Commander for Kampala Metropolitan Police, told Uganda Radio Network that officers who have grievances should use the established internal complaint structures instead of airing their disputes publicly.
Kirabo said the growing practice of officers turning to social media to raise complaints against their commanders is improper and contrary to the police chain of command.
He said discipline is the force’s core value and that officers who abandon established procedures risk finding themselves facing disciplinary cases.
“All I can say is that cases of indiscipline in police officers tend to result from losing the core values, especially discipline, which is the number one value; the second one is service to the people and being patriotic. Such people lose track and end up in problems of indiscipline, and these are cases we handle,” Kirabo said.
Kirabo was commenting on the case of a female police officer attached to Kasangati Police Station who was arrested over the weekend after posting on social media about her commander’s decision to release a suspect who she alleged had assaulted her during an operation.
He dismissed suggestions that police officers lack adequate channels or training to pursue grievances internally.Kirabo said the Kasangati officer should have used the police’s established reporting structures and that the Professional Standards Unit could only intervene formally if she lodged a complaint.
“We have structures, and the police officers know them. This is not a junior officer, she has been in the police for some good years. She would have gone through starting from the post, to the station, to the division, region and to the Kampala command, to the Directorate and above all there is PSU. All those are avenues for justice within the force,” Kirabo said.
The Professional Standards Unit investigates complaints against police officers, including allegations of corruption, human rights violations, professional misconduct, mishandling of cases and other forms of indiscipline.
The unit is currently headed by Commissioner of Police Iren Ameri. It became particularly prominent during the tenure of former Inspector General of Police General Kale Kayihura, when its commanders frequently addressed the public about investigations into alleged misconduct by police officers.
Kirabo said the unit has since expanded its presence to police regions across the country and continues to receive complaints from both police officers and members of the public.
“We have established our offices across all police regions, people can reach out to them, or write to us, or contact us via WhatsApp or email, we shall handle any complaint, investigate it, and make sure that the case is handled properly,” Kirabo said.
He said the unit handles thousands of complaints every year, including allegations of corruption, human rights violations, professional misconduct and mishandling of cases.
However, Kirabo declined to provide the current backlog of complaints, saying the figures would have to be obtained from the police statistics office.
The PSU has previously investigated cases that resulted in disciplinary action against police officers.
Among them was a case involving four police constables who were dismissed after being convicted by the Police Disciplinary Court. The officers had been investigated by the PSU following a complaint that they had abandoned their police beats to guard an illegal gold refinery allegedly linked to a US$4 million fake-gold fraud.
The unit also investigated the case of ASP Clive Nsiima, who was attached to the Counter Terrorism Directorate’s Oil and Gas Protection Unit.
Nsiima was arrested after a video circulated on social media showing him striking a 25-year-old female supermarket attendant at Shell Kyanja during a dispute over a bill of 30,000 shillings for condoms and beer.
The attendant, Pellan Atuhumurize, filed a complaint, after which Nsiima faced disciplinary and criminal proceedings. He was subsequently dismissed from the police.
The PSU says officers with grievances can use the established complaint channels, including regional offices and direct communication with the unit, instead of taking internal disputes to social media.
