BUKOMANSIMBI: Three police officers from the Field Force Unit (FFU) have been arrested in Bukomansimbi district, for allegedly staging illegal roadblocks and extorting money from motorists.
The three whose names have not yet been disclosed by authorities were allegedly leaving Masaka city where they work, and got on their motorcycles in the evening hours to collect money in Bukomansimbi district where they do not work after staging illegal road blocks.
Bodaboda riders at Kawoko in Butenga town council, Bukomansimbi have been complaining about the officers, until security forces monitored their movements to find out. According to sources, the three officers were staging illegal road blocks on Marram roads branching off from the main highway of Bukomansimbi- Ssembabule like Kawoko- Kigangazi road.
Their colleague, who was transferred from Bukomansimbi district to Masaka, allegedly led them to Bukomansimbi where they have been staging to extort from drivers and cyclists.
The Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Bukomansimbi District Mr. Kalema Fred Pax said the arrested officers are still held in Bukomansimbi police custody while the matter is being investigated by Masaka regional police.
RDC Pax said the three officers have been illegally staging road blocks and patrolling in Bukomansimbi without notifying the District Police Officer of the area.
“We’ve had complaints from the public that some police officers using motorcycles have been staging roadblocks in far villages during morning hours and in the evening to extort money from motorists. Our security teams at the district and in the region will soon have a meeting to get details about the said officers as we carry on more investigations about their actions,” Mr. Pax said.
The Acting Police spokesperson for Masaka sub-region ASP Twaha Kasirye confirmed the arrest of the three FFU police officers and said that they are yet to be aligned before security courts under charges of unprofessional conduct.
“They are FFU police officers under our custody, they had staged a roadblock yet they were not traffic officers, their mandate is to conduct patrols not roadblocks. We have charged them and they are already in cells,” he confirmed.
In Uganda, it’s a duty of Traffic Officers to enforce the rules of the road and signs. They ensure that all road users including pedestrians use our roads in an orderly and safe manner. The main purpose of Traffic Officers is to ensure the safe and free flow of traffic to prevent road crashes and deaths on roads but not field force unit putting Blue camouflage uniform.
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