The Uganda Police has cautioned reporters and other media organizations against spreading reckless, malicious, and distorted information regarding the Uganda Police Force, which undermines the force.
While speaking to journalists during the weekly security presser at the police headquarters in Naguru on Monday, August 12, 2024, ACP Kituuma Rusoke, the Uganda Police Spokesperson, said that there was a trend of inaccurate and misleading reporting by certain media outlets regarding the Uganda Police Force, which he said damaged its image.
He highlighted the recent news circulating in the media about the purported theft of the IGP’s car, yet it was just one of the police service vans that went missing.
“On August 9, 2024, the New Vision newspaper distorted news of the theft of a police service van, incorrectly referring to it as the IGP’s official car.” Rusoke noted.
The spokesperson further revealed a similar incident in which Spyreports, an online media website, published a story claiming that President Museveni allocated nearly UGX 300 billion for the renovation of the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) headquarters, yet the police budget is publicly available.
According to Rusoke, such reporting shows a lack of consultation from police, adding that the media should exercise professionalism in their work and obtain information from authorized channels before dissemination.
“We urge reporters and media organizations to demonstrate professionalism by reaching out to the police’s official communication channels for clarification and to allow the police to provide their version of events,“ he said.
The police warned that continued falsification of reports and stories about the Force is liable for punishment.
“The Uganda Police Force will not tolerate reckless and malicious reporting that undermines the integrity of the Force,” Rusoke cautioned.
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