Uganda: Nebbi District Faces Policing Gaps With Absent Police Stations

Three municipal divisions and two sub-counties in Nebbi District are still operating without police stations, creating gaps in access to security services despite a government policy aimed at bringing policing closer to communities. The affected areas are Central, Abindu and Thatha divisions, as well as Acana and Alala sub-counties. Residents in the affected areas currently depend on Nebbi Central Police Station or other nearby police facilities to report cases and seek police assistance, sometimes requiring them to travel long distances. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines Local leaders say the absence of police stations closer to residents has contributed to delays in responding to crime and other security concerns, including petty offences, domestic violence and land disputes. The gaps exist despite the Uganda Police Force's Sub-County Policing Model, which provides for police stations at the level of every sub-county, municipal division and town council to bring security, law and order services closer to communities. Nebbi has recently seen the establishment or commissioning of police stations in areas including Akworo, Atego, Parombo, Nebbi Sub-county and Nyaravur-Angal Town Council, but the five affected administrative units remain without facilities under the model. The distinction is important because the existence of Nebbi Central Police Station does not mean Central Division has been provided with the police station required under the Sub-County Policing Model. Under the model, Central Division is supposed to have a police station at its own division headquarters, separate from the existing Central Police Station, so that residents within the division can access policing services closer to where they live. The arrangement is similar to the provision of public health services, where a Health Centre III is expected to serve a lower administrative area even when a general hospital is located within the same area. The presence of the higher-level facility does not remove the requirement for the lower-level facility because each serves a different administrative and service-delivery function. Nebbi District Police Commander SSP James Mwesigye said despite the delayed establishment of police stations in the three divisions and two sub-counties, crime in the district had reduced significantly over the past two months. "When you look at crime rates, the crimes have gone very low compared to previous months before I came in," Mwesigye said. He attributed part of the improvement to the police stations already established closer to communities. "With police stations closer to the people, we've been able to do disruptive operations, community policing by engaging the community and this has worked well," Mwesigye said. Mwesigye said Nebbi and the wider region had previously experienced numerous cases of mob justice, but the incidents had reduced significantly since he took charge. He said the district had recorded only one case of mob justice in the past two months. Nebbi Resident District Commissioner Robert Abak welcomed the establishment of police stations at sub-county level, saying the facilities were strengthening efforts to fight crime at community level. "We have created police stations at Padwot, Akworo, Parombo, and other sub-counties with an aim of fighting crimes at community levels," Abak said. He said the new stations were an improvement from the police posts that previously operated at lower administrative levels. "We used to have police posts but now the government has considered creation of police stations instead, which is a very good initiative," Abak said. However, the gaps remain in Nebbi Municipality, which became operational in 2017. The municipality's divisions have continued to rely on existing police facilities despite the decentralised policing model requiring a station at division level. For Acana and Alala sub-counties, which became operational in 2019 after being curved out of P