Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and operational performance of the Uganda Police Field Force Unit in Kampala Metropolitan East

Abstract

The performance of the Field Force Unit (FFU) officers in the Uganda Police Force (UPF) has been criticized by the public on many occasions – claiming that these officers do not attend to their duty, are engaged in alcoholism, extortion, and drug abuse, among other vices. Relatedly, media reports show that when they go on duty, especially to control riots, they are so aggressive and end up torturing members of the public. Moreover, the officers are accused of desertion, and murder by shooting, with some of them reported to have committed suicide. Several commentators have argued that the way these officers act while dispensing their duties is influenced by the mental challenges they face while on duty. Although these issues continue to cost the police institution in terms of damaging its image, there is no known study on poor performance by FFU officers as a result of previous experiences while on duty, especially in terms of mental health. In this study, I adopted a qualitative research methodology that involved sharing people’s views and experiences through in-depth interviews and document analysis to investigate how de pression, anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) influence the operational perfor mance of FFU officers in Kampala Metropolitan East, an area known for most of the riots experi enced in Kampala and its neighbourhoods. I attempt to answer questions as to how officers in the Police’s FFU in the operational area of Kampala Metropolitan East (KME) perform their duties and whether or not the quality of their work is influenced by their past mental experiences or if it is related to other factors. vi The findings of this study reveal that indeed the performance of FFU officers in KME is influ enced by anxiety, depression and PSTD, among other factors. Memories of colleagues being in jured or killed during riots adversely influence the performance of these officers when they are deployed for subsequent duties. They become brutal since they will feel insecure during the per formance of their duties. As such, the UPF, together with other stakeholders, need to work on the welfare of these officers in terms of counselling, besides strengthening a policy where officers are transferred from one directorate (department) to another within a specific period of time.