Nebbi policing gaps: Three divisions, two sub-counties still without police stations

What the report says

Three municipal divisions and two rural sub-counties in Nebbi District still do not have police stations, according to Nile Post, despite Uganda’s Sub-County Policing Model requiring policing services to be decentralised to lower local government units. The affected areas are Central, Abindu and Thatha divisions, along with Acana and Alala sub-counties. Residents there continue to rely on Nebbi Central Police Station or other nearby facilities, which can mean travelling longer distances to report incidents or seek help.

The report says local leaders believe the absence of stations has slowed responses to issues such as petty crime, domestic violence and land disputes. It also notes that the gap remains even though police facilities have recently been opened in other parts of the district, including Akworo, Atego, Parombo, Nebbi Sub-county and Nyaravur-Angal Town Council. Under the policing model, each sub-county, municipal division and town council is expected to have its own police station staffed by 18 officers.

Nebbi District Police Commander SSP James Mwesigye told the outlet that crime had fallen over the past two months, linking some of the improvement to closer police presence and community policing. Resident District Commissioner Robert Abak also welcomed the new stations, saying they were helping efforts to fight crime at community level.

The report highlights a wider policy and implementation issue: even when a higher-level police facility exists nearby, the decentralised model still calls for a station within each lower administrative unit. Nebbi Municipality became operational in 2017, while Acana and Alala were created in 2019, but residents in those areas still depend on neighbouring police services.