Anthony Maiku, the officer in charge of Napumpum Police Station, says they have been locking suspects in the market stall since the station was created.
Napumpum Police Station in Panyangara Sub
County in Kotido district lacks holding cells for suspects.
As a result,
suspects are locked up in a tiny market stall in Napumpum Trading Centre.
The officers handle cases in the open market shade due to lack
of space.
Anthony Maiku, the officer in charge
of Napumpum Police Station, says they have been
locking suspects in the market stall since the station was created.
The station previously operated in a rented semi-permanent house in the Trading Center and was
prune to raids by residents. They would often raid the post and grab suspects
from custody.
The station has since moved to the market where suspects are
locked up in a stall.
//Cue in: “Now like five...
Cue out…detaining any another suspects”//
Anne Mary Atyang, the area Female Councilor accuses officers
attached to the station of locking up female suspects in the same stall with
men in total disregard of their safety.
A crime Preventer in the area who spoke to URN
on condition of anonymity, says they keep up to five suspects in the stall.
The stall measures about 1.5 x 1 meter and was
meant for storage of vendor’s merchandise.
Residents want local authorities to intervene
and provide working space to the station, arguing that their services are much
needed because of high crime rates in the area.
Abdi Karim Adyaka, a resident of Napumpum Trading Centre,
says the conditions inside the stall are inhumane.
//Cue in “There was a man...
Cue out...keeping criminals”//
Isaac Locham, another resident says keeping suspects inside a
functional market is affecting sanitation at the facility.
//Cue in “The problem is that...
Cue out…market is now very dirty”//
Our reporter visited the police station on Tuesday and found
the OC station, Anthony Maiku publicly mediating a domestic dispute between a
couple in the market shade denying them privacy.
There were at least a dozen people who were
going about their usual business as the OC was speaking on top of his voice in
order to be heard by his clients.
The Kotido District Police Commander, Apollo Kyangungu, says
he has asked the sub County leadership to provide office space to the police
station.
The Panyangara Sub County Chief, Christine Aleper said they are yet to meet
the community to identify land to host the police station.
She says in the
meantime the Sub County will try to identify some structure to house station.
Napumpum Police Station was opened on January 16
2015 due to the high crime rates in the area. But lack of working space has
negatively affected their operations.
