Prison boss bitter over police indiscriminate night arrests

The Regional Prison commander (RPC) North, Mr Allan Okello has lashed out at police
in Gulu district for their indiscriminate arrests and charges for petty crimes arguing those arrested end up being dumped at Gulu Central Prisons even for a petty crime that deserves police bonds.
Okello argued that despite charges like Rogue and vagabond that are constitutionally lawful, in real sense they are so minor that do not need to be treated to the extent of sending the suspect to remand in Prison.
“This is so ridiculous, to charge someone with Rogue and vagabond, how can police just arrest anyone at night time and then charge them with idleness. Where is that law that bars people from moving at night? Okello asked.
Okello was responding to Acholi Times in an exclusive interview on Tuesday in Gulu town following last week’s arrest carried out by police where over 30 people were arrested and later remanded to Gulu central Prison on charges of Rogue and Vagabond.
The prison boss reasoned that such charges on petty crimes that end up at prisons facilities inconveniences their service delivery due to the high number of people they receive in a week and later such persons are released within only two days of serving remand sentences.
“Numbers of inmates are all the time increasing but if you check out their crimes, they are minor, this leads to congestion in the prisons cells. The police must ensure such people are given bond or even sentenced to serve community sentences,” he advised.
His concerns also follow the death of a 19 year old man Brian Opiyo who was arrested on Monday last week by night patrol police and remanded to Gulu central Prison over charges of Rogue and vagabond, from where he died on Friday over alleged torture by fellow inmates.
“If the police had not arrested and charged this man at that early hour, would he have ended up dying from the prison? No… his death would not be from here” said Okello.
Police is professional

The Regional Police Commander, Mr Wilson Kwanya however said police maintains professionalism while carrying out arrests arguing that police always lean on advises from the Resident State attorneys who decide whether a suspect arrested can be arraigned in court.
“All these people who are charged and remanded are sent to jail by the police, they go through many legal hands and the final ones are the magistrates or judges. Besides, our arrests are to maintain security in the area,” Kwanya added.