69 police recruits arrested over forged documents

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MASINDI - Sixty-nine new recruits at Kabalye Police Training School in Masindi district are under investigation for forgery and uttering false documents.

The case was reported by ACP Ezekiel Emitu Ebapu, the commandant of the training school, at Masindi Police Station on July 20, 2024.

Between July 13 and July 20, 2024, the recruits, who were reporting for training as probation police constables, presented forged academic documents to the police verification team from the Uganda Police Force human resource. These documents were subsequently discovered to be fraudulent.

"This prompted the commandant of the Police Training School, Kabalye, to report the case," the police statement noted.

A team of officers from Masindi Police Station, led by ASP Simon Ochiti Peter, the OC CID Masindi, has travelled to Kabalye Police Training School to conduct inquiries.

"Formal complaints were received from the commandant regarding the allegations. Statements were recorded from the reporter and witnesses, including the suspects. Certified copies of the alleged forged documents were retrieved and attached to the file."

According to Ochiti, the original documents are being sent to the Uganda National Examination Board for verification by the Uganda Police human resource team.

The police statement, as seen by New Vision, indicated that all suspects and their properties were handed over to Masindi Central Police Station.

The statement further revealed that most suspects admitted to forging their documents with the intention of joining the police.

Allan Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson, confirmed the arrests and noted that the suspects have been released on bail.

They are required to produce original documents while verification is conducted with UNEB.

"If they fail to produce the original documents, they will be prosecuted for forgery and uttering false documents," Hakiza said.