Police in Lira district are investigating a section of their own colleagues, hotel and bar proprietors, over alleged extra-time displays of fireworks during the end-of-year festivities.
Jimmy Patrick Okema, the North Kyoga Regional Police Spokesperson, said many entertainment facilities that had been credited by the police for displaying fireworks went beyond the designated five minutes for display.
Okema said the police in Lira had cleared 28 sites, including churches, hotels, and bars, to display fireworks within a period of five minutes.
According to Okema, some hotels and bars failed to comply with the instructions issued by the police and went beyond the allotted time.
He added that some places went even beyond 15 minutes, which was against the set guidelines.
The police officers will account for what transpired in the places they were deployed to monitor and oversee.
“Some hotels and bars displayed fireworks beyond the stipulated five minutes to beyond 15 minutes, which is unfortunate.We believe this is due to business competition and weakness on the part of the security officers, who did not participate vigorously in supervision,” Okema said.
Towards December 31, 2022, the North Kyoga Regional Police issued guidelines to be followed by churches, hotels, and bars while carrying out celebrations to usher in the New Year 2023, among which was clearing 28 places for fireworks displays and making prior advertisements on radio and TV.