ADVICE TO POLICE ON HOW TO HANDLE DRUG ABUSERS

The recent incident at Kalerwe involving the shooting of 10-year-old
Byamukama by special police constables is reported to have been part
of a botched attempt to arrest a drug dealer or drug users in the area.

Any such operation in several of Kampala's major slums is going to be
problematic and requires a high degree of professionalism among the
police and, not to be ignored, the attitude of the majority in the
area to the police. The police may have to depend more on community
policing methods than use their now familiar crack down approach.

I was given an interesting lesson when some 16 years ago, in my role
as tutor in charge of security, I accompanied the police as they went
on a week long search of electrical equipment stolen from Bishop
Tucker Theological College, now the Uganda Christian University that
took us to Mengo-Kisenyi, Makindye-Kibuye, Luwafu, and Katwe.

I gauged the attitude of the slum dwellers to police and although
some time has passed, I do not think it has changed much. If
anything, I suspect it has gotten worse. I imagine that more force
might be required in arresting someone in illegal possession of a
firearm than in arresting drug (mostly marijuana) users or dealers.

The police might need to take a more considered approach when dealing
with drug users, many of whom happen to be unemployed youths living
or socialising in many of Kampala's slums. Selling crude waragi was
or is criminal in Uganda, but over time the police adopted a moderate
approach, sometimes arresting those who started drinking early in the
morning and keeping quiet about the rest.

The police and other organisations should probably invest more
resources in providing information, education, and counselling to
would-be drug users or those who are already hooked than pouncing on users.

After all many people in Uganda have been 'banywi ba njaga'
(marijuana or even mayilungi users) since many decades ago. I am not
condoning the use of drugs; just proposing realistic methods of
dealing with an intractable social problem.

Rev Amos Kasibante, Leicester, UK.

Leicester, UK.