The Head of Tourism Police Department in the Uganda Police Force, Commissioner of Police, Frank Mwesigwa has said that the department requires about 4000 more personnel for it to execute its mandate effectively.
During press conference on Tuesday evening, Mwesigwa who is in Kigezi region on a 3 -day tour, revealed this in Kabale town.
He argued that the Tourism department has only 1000 personnel out of the minimum 5000 required so 4000 more personnel are needed for effective services.
“We are trying to train more police officers to solve this problem of inefficient human resource although the problem is still serious in this field,” he said.
Mwesigwa continued that they have focused on sensitizing local national parks in order to embrace the sector to curb the human-wildlife conflict.
“We have had the challenge of people conflicting with wild animals for long, but in our various engagements, we remind our people of the benefits of people living harmoniously with wildlife,” said Mwesigwa.
The chairperson of Kigezi Tourism Cluster, Eng. Ivan Batuma appreciated the role of tourism police in addressing security issues in the country.
“Before establishing tourism police, we had struggled with insecurity in some of our sites but now where these officers are deployed, we are sure of quality protection for our visitors,” said Batuma.
The Tourism Officer Benson Kasigazi Kitabire said that with more tourism police officers on ground, there will be an increased assurance of security.
This Tourism police department was established in 2014 with intentions of facilitating a safer stay of tourists in Uganda.