Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Paul Lokech has expressed concern over permanent and unmanned roadblocks on the country’s roads.
Ever since President Yoweri Museveni declared a lockdown in March last year in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19, a number of check points were erected on various roads by police and sister security agencies.
Even when Museveni lifted the ban on public transport, education institutions, flights, arcades, plazas, malls and worship centres, police maintained these roadblocks. Some of them have seemingly become permanent. These roadblocks include Kira road station, Jinja road police station, Kira division police headquarters, Wandegeya division, Mawanda road police station and Kawempe police station.
A number of these checkpoints become abandoned especially in the late evening hours or early morning hours something that greatly impacts traffic flow. Drivers and motorcyclists have often complained about roadblocks becoming a trapping point for policemen and women who extort money from them in the guise of implementing curfew hours.
Following the repeated questions raised by journalists about unattended to roadblocks and extortion of money from drivers and riders allegedly flouting curfew time, Gen Lokech has tasked Assistant Inspector General of Police –AIGP Edward Osiru Ochom to investigate the unnecessary or permanent checkpoints and take deserving action.
Lokech said check points should be spontaneous and purposely laid in case there is someone or vehicles particularly for criminals being targeted. He adds that checkpoints must be attended to or removed once they have served their purpose.
“Checkpoints at times are necessary and must be put for a purpose. Director operations you must look into that. If the check point is put up because we want to trap somebody, it must be a snap checkpoint. They must not be permanent checkpoints,” Lokech said.
President Museveni on Sunday announced more measures intended to curtail the second wave of Covid-19 which is more lethal than the first one. Kampala, Wakiso and Gulu are some of the districts listed by ministry of health with the highest number of Covid-19 cases.
Several motorcycles and cars get impounded by police during curfew hours. However, police leadership has noticed that police officers release the motorcycles and cars to owners after extorting from them money ranging from Shillings 20,000 to 200,000 Shillings, instead of imposing official fines.
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