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{
    "id": 573237,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/573237/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 68,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Dido",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2749,
        "legal_name": "Col (Rtd) Ali Rasso Dido",
        "slug": "col-rtd-ali-rasso-dido"
    },
    "content": "Okay, Hon. Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this Motion. The import of this Motion is much bigger than what is put here. It is about the terms of service of the police force. It is about why we cannot retain our police officers in service for long periods, and why specialized cadres, who attend long courses overseas using taxpayers’ money, cannot be retained in the service. Primarily, it is about the incentive to keep them around. It is about promotion and investing in them for them to undertake their jobs without any hindrances or difficulties. Even under the police force reforms, including the vetting of police officers, most of these things have become very heavy, in that it has taken a lot of time for the reforms to be grounded and for the officers to feel confident that they can continue serving. There is always, in any job, the issue about greener pastures - the grass on the other side is always greener. That is why many institutions, particularly in the area of security, are coming up and poaching those members of the police force whom they believe can add value to their institutions and in the process weakening the police service itself. For that reason, I believe the Government has a duty to ensure that those who have had long specialised training are retained. In the military, where I was for many years, if an individual attends a specialised course, they must undergo a bonding, that is they sign a document that ensures that they remain in service for at least five years and if they opt out, they must pay back the money that was used to train them. To an extent, the incentive is about promotion and increasing stipend for the specialised jobs they do. It is also about police welfare."
}