Analysis of the Quality of Peace and Security from the Perspective of Community Policing in Lira city, Northern Uganda

Abstract

Uganda faces an ever-upward rate of urban criminality; this has led to continued loss of lives and property. Security officials, especially, the Uganda Police Force have embraced a range of approaches to mitigate, avert and/or evade crime but none appears to yield sustainable outcomes. The decade ending 2020 witnessed the espousal of ‘community policing as an innovative approach to detecting and thwarting urban crime. Obtainable literature indicates that community policing is a paradigm shift grounded in the principles of policing by the consent of the community. Consequently, this study aims to analyze the quality of peace and security from the perspective of selected community policing models. Two questions are answered, namely; (a) how does intelligence-led policing enhance peace and security among slum dwellers in Lira city west division? And (b) how does zero-tolerance policing enhance peace and security among slum dwellers in the Lira city west division? A Case study design was adopted in eight purposely selected slums. The participants who were resourceful during data collection are; elected leaders, civil servants, security operatives, retired security officers, and media practitioners. Results suggest that the Intelligence-led policing model has the potential to enhance the protection of security information from unauthorized persons. Thus enabling the Police Force to dislodge organized crime in the slum areas. Also, Zero-tolerance policing model provides efficient management of security investigations since the Police Force can gather evidence to facilitate the prosecution of offenders. Thus, a combination of both models is key in enhancing peace and security among slum areas in Lira City.