An examination of internal conflict management systems in mitigating conflicts in the Uganda Police Force

Abstract

The study set out to examine the available structures within the Uganda Police Force put in place to mitigate and manage intra and interpersonal conflict within the force. The desire to investigate the availability of conflict resolution structures was the existence of full blown conflicts have have ended into loss of lives for some officers. The study focused on Kampala Metropolitan Police. To achieve this objective the study examined the types and causes of conflicts in the Uganda Police force and the challenges faced by the internal conflict management systems. The study was guided by the New Public Management theory and employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The quantitatve methods were useful in determining the demographic charactreristics of the respondents while the qualitative methods were used to solicit answers from the respondents. The results indicate that unfortunately, the UPF has no existing structures to address intra and interpersonal conflicts within the force. Intra personal conflicts are regarded as cases of insurbodnation and indiscipline. However, the findings also indicate that many times individual officers have stepped out of their way to counsel and mediate the conflicting parties. From the study, it was found that intra-personal conflict existed among officers at KMP the findings were in agreement with from the study, it was found out that interpersonal conflict existed among officers at KMP. Further findings revealed that Intra-group conflict also happened at KMP. The study recommends that the leadership of the Uganda Police Force should develop concerted efforts to localise and overhaul the force and revise some of the structures that were put in place by the colonialists to ensure that the force comforms to the demands and advancements that are moving rather than stick with colonial structures in times when everyone is increasingly talking about decolonisation. Secondly there‘s need to institutionalise resolution of interpersonal conflicts in the Uganda police Force. This calls for a deliberate policy on interpersonal conflict resolution in the UPF. After the policy, there‘s need to come up with structures desk that should be at every police post whose agenda is to address interpersonal conflicts in case they arise. This should be coupled with the establishemnet of a staff tribunal within the police force and creation of a full intra/interpersonal conflict resolution department. Modern interpersonal conflict resolution mechanism and processes should be established and grounded on the New Public Management Model.