Deconstructing community policing strategies on Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) East, Uganda

Abstract

The history of Community Policing may be traced back in United States of America in 1960s when police decided to become more involved in local communities in order to deter and reduce criminal activity (Schanzer et al., 2016). While conducting Community Policing, police officers and civilians do share critical information by developing equal access of justice to people and especially the most vulnerable like the victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV). Reducing the incidence and prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in low and middle-income countries is a United Nations (UN) sustainable development goal SDG 5 (Signorelli et al., 2018). This too falls under the mandate of Uganda Policing Force (UPF) which should reduce/or stop the occurrence of GBV in communities. However, despite various interventions put in place by the UPF, Gender Based Violence continue to be a challenge as Cases of Defilement, Rape, Indecent Assault, Domestic violence, and incest continue to occur. This study used qualitative research approach with an exploratory case study design to get meanings from experiences of the 22 participants including Regional and Divisional Police Commanders, In charge GBV desks, Community Liaison Officers (CLOs), Victims and Perpetrators of GBV, and the local community members, who were purposefully sampled. The researcher administered interviews included Storytelling and Key informant interviews. Using both thematic and narrative analyses, the findings of the study reveal that within section of the Uganda Police Force that participated in the study, there were varied definitions of what gender-based entails. The definitions and meanings show that within the police force and locally in the Uganda communities, gender-based violence is understood, rationalized, investigated, and manifest itself in various forms. Study findings also reveal that part of the requirements for police officers handling GBV related cases is proper and efficient training in handling GBV. A general analysis of the findings shows that community policing strategies demonstrate the three key components of organizational transformation, community partnerships, and shared problem-solving Conclusively, the study highlights the importance of UPF engaging other stakeholders to build synergy in order to effectively reduce the occurrence of GBV in communities. Keywords: Community policing, Community Policing Strategies, Gender Based Violence