The mass scale police training is vital in the efforts to boost the strength of the Uganda police force, according to the Inspector General of police, Kale Kaihura.
Kaihura says that the police presence in Uganda is relatively thin making it difficult to ensure effective enforcement of law and order.
According to Kaihura, there is one policeman for every 2,000 people, compared to the international police standard ratio of one police man per 500 people.
As part of the IGP's efforts to reduce the ratio gap, 4,500 Probation police constables are currently undergoing a 9-months training course at Kabalye Police training school, in Masindi.
The training has however come under criticism from some people who argue that training police officers under limited resources could compromise the quality of the police officers passed out.
Reports from Kabalye show that the conditions at the school are not conducive for specialized police training. In most cases, 900 trainees are crammed in make shift classrooms made of iron sheets and it takes the instructor to grab a microphone to deliver a lecture.
But the Inspector General of police maintains that these conditions though not ideal are not alarming. He explains that specialized training is usually given to officers with prior knowledge. The officers at Kabalye are undergoing specialized training in simple crime and violent crime handling and terrorism detection.
Kayihura explains that officers graduating from the specialised police training would be able to find timely solutions to complex scenarios.
Police is negotiating with the public service ministry to conduct subsequent trainings, to reduce the police population ratio to one policeman per 500 people.
