The Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, has urged Criminal Investigations Directorates (CID) field officers to fight corruption and ensure proper use of car sirens to serve their intended purpose.
Kiwanuka was delivering a public lecture to CID officers during the two-day engagement at CID headquarters in Kibuli on Friday, January 27th, 2023.
He said that it pains him to see a police patrol with lights on and people don’t even make an effort to create a little room for the vehicle.
According to Kiwanuka, the public no longer respects the sirens because they have been misused by the officers themselves, since a number of them tend to dodge traffic to reach their homes.
He asked the officers to charge anyone misusing a car siren for purposes other than the emergency it’s intended for.
“The purpose of a siren is for an emergency,” he emphasized.
He further advised the officers to first deal with their colleagues misusing the car siren to get respect from the public.
“The only way you’re going to deal with this is by getting your own siren, because charity begins at home,” he advised.
Kiwanuka also urged the officers to respect the Uganda Police Force uniform, indicating it’s a symbol of state authority.
Adding that they should also conduct evidence-based investigations, learn from mistakes, and desist from any form of impunity while working to mitigate crime.
The annual CID retreat is organised to help the directorate share challenges and come up with strategies on how to better serve Ugandans.
The retreat was graced by the Presidential Advisor on Police Affairs, SSP Susan Kasingye, and regional and district CID officers.
Uganda’s traffic laws permit emergency sirens only on police patrols, lead vehicles for VIPs and the presidential convoy, and emergency vehicles such as ambulances and rescue vehicles like fire trucks.