The Role Of The Police In Administration Of Criminal Justice In The Republic Of Uganda

ABSTRACT

The need for this study arose from the realization that Uganda Police Force plays a very important role in the administration of criminal justice. When an accused person is proved guilty before the courts of law, he I she is subjected to punishment. Thus, there is need to ensure that it is only the guilty that are punished but not the innocent. UPF evidence, although corroborative, plays a persuasive role in courts' decision making in cases where it is applicable. The main objective of the study, therefore, is to examine the role of Police in the administration of criminal justice in the Republic Aforesaid. The study noted that there is no way the application of police evidence in the administration of criminal justice can be effective when the respective actors in the police field are deficient of forensic knowledge or have no local ways of enhancing the existing police knowledge they possess. The study further revealed that there are a number of persisting factors in Uganda that sometimes culminate into incorrect and misleading police examination results that are used in evidence in courts of law. Examples of such factors include corruption I undue influence, poor facilitation and time management, poor police facilities I equipment, incorrect methods of forensic evidence collection and examination. It was also found that the small number of police experts and the few forensic laboratories that are mostly located within Kampala do not provide a conducive environment for an effective application of Police Force in the administration of criminal justice in the Republic Aforesaid. Worse still, some forensic fields such as voice analysis, image and skeleton reconstruction are found to be non-functional in Uganda as they completely lack both the facilities and expertise. The study further revealed that in Uganda there is no centralized body that regulates the functions of police personnel. Thus, the latter operate in an uncontrolled environment that in effect, is likely to prejudice the process of administration of criminal justice. Last but not least, it was found that the government does not give sufficient support and recognition it deserves to upgrade the field of Police.