Uganda Police has terminated services of all Flying Squad Operatives who have been working in different parts of the country without prior warning.
The more than 80 operatives who have been working as Special Police constables on contracts have stopped working with the force with immediate effect.
The decision by the police top management was communicated yesterday through an internal memo pinned at the flying Squad Headquarters at Central Police Station Kampala.
According to the Memo, the operative’s services are terminated until further notice.
“All those who have been working with Flying Squad as operatives their services have been terminated with effect from 5th November 2018 until further notice,” reads the warning memo signed under the stamp of the Commandant Flying Squad Peter Kakonge.
The termination of operatives leaves only fully trained and recognized police officers as part of the Flying Squad uniformed personnel.
The Operatives most of whom have been in the unit since it was founded in 2005 as an Operation code named ‘Wembley’ are believed to have participated in tarnishing the name of the police elite unit which was formed to handle gun related crimes, motor vehicle robberies and kidnaps.
The unit operated for many years with only its management being police officers while the biggest share of its personnel remained operatives until 2016 when the former Commandant ordered all personnel to undergo police basic training if they wanted to be enrolled into the force formally.
Some of the operatives at the time went for the training and were transferred upon being passed out while others remained as SPCs.
Human rights activist and Lawyer Nicholas Opio welcomed the move and tweeted that;
“One step in the right direction but more could be done including prosecuting these criminal elements and disbanding the Flying Squad of the Uganda Police @MariaHRWAfrica @chapter4uganda”