The Uganda Police Force (UPF) is seeking shs258 billion to effectively enhance the Sub County Policing Model (SCPM).
Police Chief Abas Byakagaba announced that they have submitted a request to the Government via a Cabinet memorandum for this funding in the fiscal year 2025/2026 to bolster the SCPM.
The model was established following strategic guidance from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during his speech at the 25th Annual Police Council meeting at Police Headquarters in Kampala on November 19, 2019.
The President further emphasized in Executive Order No. 03 of 2023 that the police force should evolve from being merely a Kampala-centric entity to a truly national Uganda Police, as originally intended.
He directed that every Sub County, Municipal, and Town Council should be transformed into a fully functional Police Station, equipped with all necessary UPF resources to address the policing needs of the community.
During a recent press briefing at the police headquarters in Kampala, Byakagaba highlighted that policing services have predominantly focused on urban areas, leaving rural regions underserved or entirely without police presence.
He pointed out that as anti-crime measures like CCTV have been implemented in cities, criminals have shifted their activities to rural and peri-urban areas, negatively impacting the livelihoods of rural communities and hindering government initiatives such as PDM, EMYOOGA, and Operation Wealth Creation.
To enhance security and uphold law and order nationwide, and in accordance with the principles of community policing and the presidential directive, UPF management has restructured its approach, systems, and procedures to prioritize policing at the sub county level. The Sub County Policing Model aims to decentralize policing services to every sub county, municipal, and town council across Uganda.
Byakagaba announced that following the President’s guidance, a special meeting of the Police Advisory Committee (PAC) took place at Police Headquarters on January 2, 2025.
During this meeting, it was decided to form a dedicated committee aimed at accelerating the implementation of the SCPM.
The SCPM involves deploying 18 personnel at each sub-county, municipality, or town council, which includes an Officer in Charge of the station, 12 general duty police officers for patrols, members from the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), Crime Intelligence (CI), the Child and Family Protection Unit (CFPU), and Community Liaison Officers (CLO).
Additionally, the initiative will be supported by three motorcycles, four portable radios, one VHF base radio, and one counter telephone.
Byakagaba highlighted that the program is gaining momentum through the reorganization and optimization of existing Uganda Police Force (UPF) resources.
He emphasized that since its launch, the initiative has reached eight regions, covering 49 districts and 591 sub-counties. The goal is to have all 2,190 sub-counties, municipalities, and town councils operational with the SCPM by February 15, 2025.
Byakagaba noted that the SCPM has been well-received by local leaders and the public, with strong backing from the Executive and all branches of government.
Expected benefits from this model include enhanced rapid response to incidents, immediate attention to security issues affecting 85% of the population, better utilization of UPF resources, improved community-oriented policing services, support for government initiatives like the Parish Development Model (PDM), and the establishment of effective police stations.
He called on all Ugandans to support and engage with the SCPM to ensure its success.
“To the UPF fraternity, unit commanders and personnel, you are encouraged to exercise the highest level of professionalism and commitment and work with the local communities towards the success of the model,” he added.