As police continue to investigate the country’s increasing number of shootings, preliminary findings indicate that they have been accelerated by indiscipline, reckless behavior, and alcoholism among some armed security personnel.
This applies to all security organizations in the country, both government and private.
While speaking to the press in Kampala, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga stated that the joint security agencies are actively reviewing all recent incidents of shootings in the country, but so far the investigations have led to three major causes that have been identified.
“As the joint security agencies, we are continuously engaging our commanders and stakeholders in private security on how to suppress aggressive conduct and reckless behavior in an activity that has been rolled out across the country. But when you review these incidents, you will notice that they are out of indiscipline, reckless behavior and those that arise out of alcoholic depression and other stress factors,” he said.
Last week, Enanga stated that police responded to four calls of shootings, three of which were caused by armed security personnel acting recklessly.
He however reassured the public that such shootings are rare because most shooters target their victims, “Otherwise, we could be having mass shootings.”
Enanga, on the other hand, encouraged any police officers who are facing difficulties to report them to their superiors for a solution rather than resorting to reckless behaviour.
“We continue to tell our officers who handle guns that there are administrative arrangements of handling problems within the system,” he said.
Relatedly, in an effort to reduce gun violence by some police officers, the law enforcement body further plans to establish a new department to handle anger management and treat police officers with mental illnesses.
These developments come on the heels of a recent heinous incident in Kampala in which a police officer identified as Ivan Wabwire fatally shot an Indian money lender.
