KAMPALA-UGANDA/NEWSDAY: After arresting several girls, some believed to be prostitutes from Best Hotel Busega, police director for operations, AIGP Edward Ochom, has accused Nateete police stations of protecting bars within their areas of jurisdiction to operate against COVID-19 orders.
120 people were arrested.
Ochom has now directed the Police’s Standard Unit to launch investigations against commanders at Nateete police station for allegedly protecting bars operating against directives during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Some of the ladies who were arrested from Best Hotel at Busega on July 12. Police said their will be arraigned in court and charged with flouting Covid-19 guidlines. Photo-UPF
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga has said AIGP Ochom has all reason to suspect that Nateete police commanders were fully aware of the activities at Best Hotel which defied COVID-19 standard operating procedures.
Enanga said AIGP Ochom has now directed the force’s Professional Standards Unit –PSU to conduct an investigation with the view of prosecuting whoever connived with Best Hotel to flout the COVID-19 guidelines.
“The director operations has come up with a very stun warning specially to acting DPCs because we have noticed that people are operating bars, holding house parties and the commanders are aware of these actions. For instance, what happened in Nateete, our PSU has descended on the station to ensure acting OC and DPC account for the continuous flouting of SOPs just within the vicinity of the station,” said Enanga.
In March last year, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni closed all entertainment venues including bars in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The leisure places affected by Museveni’s orders for more than a year now include bars, disco clubs and concert venuesWoes of Nateete police officers started on Monday when the police alert squad on orders of AIGP Ochom raided Best Hotel which is within the vicinity of Nateete police station and found more than 120 drinking alcohol and dancing.
Recently, all District and Division Police Commanders –DPCs were summoned for a three months training in Yumbe district. This has left police stations and divisions under the command of Assistant Superintendents of Police-ASPs.
Several bars have been operating since Uganda announced her first lockdown on March 18th, 2020. The DPCs and OCs have often found powerful people in such bars who threaten them. There are also some owned by police commanders and have never stopped operating.
By URN
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