The Minister of Internal Affairs Hon. Kahinda Otaffire has today officiated the ground breaking of the Crime Data Analysis Centre centre that will help the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) to efficiently carry out investigations.
Gen Otafiire has warned the investigating officers on torturing suspect adding that if someone is suspected of any wrongdoing should be arrested and presented to courts of law.
“Even criminals have rights. If someone is suspected of wrongdoing, your duty is to apprehend and present them before a court of law,not to shoot them in the streets. It is the judge, not the police, who determines guilt, hands down punishments, and upholds justice.” Stated Gen Otafiire.
“Being a law enforcement officer does not grant you the right to break bodies or commit crimes in the name of order. Your job is to ensure the laws passed by Parliament are followed-nothing more, nothing less. You are not judges. You are not executioners- Says Minister Otafiire.
“We do not construct roads for demonstrations, we build them for transportation. Just as you wouldn’t recite the Rosary in a bar, you shouldn’t turn public infrastructure into protest arenas. Let us maintain order without infringing on rights.” He added
“When foreign ambassadors suggest we allow property destruction during protests, I remind them: in our countries, you have the luxury to rebuild. We don’t. Our roads are built on credit. If someone destroys them, we must borrow again to fix what isn’t even paid for yet.” Gen Otafiire remarked.
The director of public prosecution Lady justice Jane Frances Abodo has commended CID over the new development to have a data center.
“When this Centre becomes operational, crime fighting will no longer rely on speculation or scattered witness accounts. We shall identify crime hotspots through real-time analysis, allowing us to act before crime happens”. Lady Justice Abodo said.
This centre aims to enhance crime analysis and investigation capabilities, aligning with the police force’s efforts to strengthen national security.
The Director of Criminal Investigations Directorate AIGP Tom Magambo has noted that the construction of the new data center will mark a great milestone to the directorate
“Today marks the beginning of a new era, the first seven-story CID building since the 1930s, built by Ugandans for Ugandans. CID is not just a department; we are part of a justice chain. Together with our partners, we build stronger systems for our citizens”.He said.
We are proud that this structure, unlike the colonial buildings around us, will be a Ugandan creation, engineered, built and maintained by Ugandans. Future generations will look back and appreciate that we, the generation of this time, contributed meaningfully.
