POLICE AMBULANCES ARE BEING USED IN SMUGGLING OF GOODS- POLICE COMMISSIONER

By Alex Ssemwanga
Dr. Moses Byaruhanga, the Director of Medical Services in the Uganda Police Force has said that police drivers, especially those who drive Ambulances are “the most stubborn group in the force”, a tendency that has affected operations of the medical department.

“We have given you a lot of resources such as ambulances. We are having issues with drivers. In fact, the most stubborn group in the Uganda Police Force is the drivers. They are very stubborn to the extent that they turn to be the bosses of the DPCs,” he said.

Byaruhanga admits that drivers abuse ambulances and other police vans by turning them into passenger service vehicles and ferrying people, fetching firewood, smuggling “because they have the right of way and they put sirens knowing that nobody can stop them.”

According to him, Police gives such specialized vehicles to districts and policing regions to enable commanders in doing their work such as emergency responses to the public but on many occasions, commanders don’t even know where ambulances are.