Police have issued a warning to its officers involved in hiring out sniffer dogs to the public to be used at crime scenes to desist from the habit.
According to Dr. Mugume Martin, the Commandant Police at the canine unit in Nsambya police barracks, sniffer dogs are not to be hired out because it is a police service.
“I want to assure members of the public that using the police dog service is free of charge like any other police service,” Dr. Mugume said.
This comes after several reports from the public indicating that police officers ask for money to transport the dogs to a crime scene.
“Whoever hires out a dog is committing the crime of corruption and extortion,” he added.
He urged members of the public to report such officers to nearby police stations, District Police Commanders (DPCs) and the Professional Standards Unit( PSU).
During the weekly security briefing at police headquarters in Naguru, SCP Fred Enanga also emphasized that the movement of the sniffer dogs is free of charge.
“We have reminded our unit commanders that the dog handler is not to look for transport to the crime scene but rather, the station commanders are responsible,” Enanga said.
The public is tasked to report officers who ask for any sort of money regarding the dogs to the PSU.