Police to drop ‘Sir’ tag for female officers

The police leadership has resolved to amend the standing orders and drop the ‘Sir’ tag for female officers.

They have also resolved to redesign police uniforms to address gender inequality in the force after it emerged that currently, female police officers are wearing trousers designed for men.

Police are also in the final phase of elevating deserving female police officers to top positions as the Force moves to eliminate gender inequality.

Daily Monitor understands that the police top management held a closed-door meeting yesterday and agreed to promote female police officers and entrust them with key management responsibilities.

Police Chief Political Commissar Asan Kasingye told Daily Monitor that they have completed the amendment of the police standing orders that were discriminatory to female police officers.

“In the police standing orders that were last amended in 1984, female police officers had to seek permission from the Inspector General of Police to get married to a civilian. A female officer was referred to as Sir. All these discriminatory sections have been removed in the amended police standing orders that will be launched next month,” Mr Kasingye said.

The proposed amendments also target attestation for officers, which the police management says is gender insensitive. A female police officer, when taking oath, is required to refer to herself as ‘he,’ something police bosses say is wrong and unconstitutional.

Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth-Ochola yesterday said recruitment and promotion of female officers are part of his intervention to stop gender discrimination in the Force.

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“The female officers’ leadership training held recently at Senior Command and Staff College Bwebajja supported by UN Women has already seen more female police officers in command and senior positions,” Mr Okoth-Ochola said during the positive masculinity dialogue for the Force in Kampala.

Currently, there are less than 20 per cent females in the police force, majority of whom are junior officers. There are only six female officers at the rank of commissioner and above, compared to more than 80 male officers in the same categories.