Effectiveness of Uganda Police Force in combating crime in Kabale District

Abstract

The study examined the effectiveness of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) in combating crime in Uganda with a specific focus on Kabale District. To establish this effectiveness, the study inquired into the causes and nature of crime within Kabale, the challenges the force encounters in its effort to combat crime and the different measures put in place to satisfactorily fulfil the force‘s mandate of combating and preventing crime. The objectives of the study were to identify the forms of crime committed in the district, establish the drivers of crime, examined the strategies employed by UPF to combat crime and identiy the challenges experienced by the police in their efforts to combat crime. The study was premised on the social contract theory where the police inherently derive their mandate as an organ of government contracted to combat and prevent crime on behalf of the state. The study employed a mixed methods approach using both the quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The qualitative aspects of the study entailed the use of interviews and focus group discussions to collect the data. The quantitative aspects involved the use of a survey to collect household-level data from the 129 households. The informants from whom data was collected included police commanders from the general service, traffic, crime intelligence, community relations, criminal investigations, and the field force unit (FFU). Also selected were key opinion leaders who were knowledgeable on the subjects under study. In total, 21 key informant interviews were conducted with men and women, and four focus group discussions were held with male and female police officers and community members. The findings reveal several causes of crime including poverty, unemployment, alcohol and drug misuse (12.4%). Other causes included corruption, high population illiteracy, laxity in enforcing by-laws, and parental neglect. The major types of crimes committed in Kabale district were burglary/robbery/damage to property, theft domestic violence rape and child related offences, homicide, and substance abuse. The findings show that despite the high levels of crime, the UPF in Kabale district has effectively lowered and controlled crime in the area through the enforcement of stringent and effective criminal laws at the local level. Despite the reduction, gaps and loopholes that require more attention by the UPF remain including increased operational funds and staff. The study recommends the need to come up with regional agreement and efforts to combat and prevent crime, training of the force, increasing the budgetary allocation to the force and inter agency approach efforts to combat and prevent crime.