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{
"id": 1522442,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522442/?format=api",
"text_counter": 218,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
"speaker": null,
"content": "This amendment is progressive or forward-looking. More importantly, it addresses three cardinal areas. Firstly, it is about accountability across the police force. Secondly, it addresses the role of leadership of those who command police officers. As leaders in this country, what is our responsibility in the process of having a good police service? The second aspect of this Bill addresses the welfare and well-being of our men and women in uniform. In odd hours, rain, dusty areas and dangerous locations, we call upon these men and women to provide public safety and security. They are poorly armed sometimes. They are ill-equipped, and the terrain does not favour them. Because it is their duty, many people think that police service is about employment, but it is a calling. In many developed countries across the world, police officers are the most well remunerated civil servants. When you try to describe the task or work of a police officer, then you begin to feel that these men or women do more than what the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) thinks. Recently, during demonstrations, riots, protests, attacks and even incidences of rustling, the police force was the most blamed. Blatantly, people came out to say they know what happened to demonstrators. What about the police officers who were keeping peace in a particular area on that day? There are those who lost their lives, arms and legs, and loved ones. As a former military officer and a distinguished one for that matter, in a day, when those men and women in the police force are on a beat, in whatever part of the country, they go through so much. They recover dead bodies that have been thrown into pit latrines and sewages. They are the ones who go to the morgue to identify bodies. As a result of that, they go through serious post-traumatic stress disorder. We appreciate it with minimalism because we think it is normal and their job. However, these are fathers, husbands, brothers and sisters. At the end of the day, they are human beings who appreciate soothing words when somebody says: Thank you, well done and it is okay. When this Bill came before our Committee, we thought through it and invited the stakeholders. We were amazed by the input and appreciation we got. We did not only look at the men and women in blue, but also the civilians. They gave us very serious input on how we will move forward and professionalise our police force in terms of training commanders and constables, so that they can do their job and simultaneously be accountable to those they are supposed to protect and defend. Police officers give the ultimate sacrifice by putting their lives on the line. On social media, there is an incident in north eastern where a police vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), and some officers were injured. People on social media might think that they were careless or they did not have vehicles, but on the other side, a family has lost a loved one, and soldiers and commanders have lost their comrades in arms. That is why the issue of psychosocial support, which has been overlooked for too long, must be addressed, starting from a police station and moving to the highest command level. If we do not do that, we will lose very good men and women who would have made substantial contributions to the well-being of our country. During our interaction, we realised that some issues must be addressed to ensure that our police are effective, professional and efficient when performing their duties. These issues include uniforms, medical support, insurance, pension, housing, rations, and protective equipment. Finally, some words have been used to describe the men and women in blue as determined, strong, ambitious, brave, heroes, selfless, courageous, friends, daring and responsive. These adjectives describe how policemen or policewomen carry out their duties by putting their lives on the line."
}