Kampala, (UG): The Territorial Police at Kira Road and Kira Division in Kampala have arrested at least 70 suspected criminals in connection with terrorising motorists along the Northern Bypass and ever-increasing robberies in Kampala and Wakiso.
The operation, conducted on Sunday, May 05, was in response to the escalating incidents of paver/stone throwing by criminal elements along the northern bypass and in the vicinities of Kimbejja, Kyaliwajala, and Namugongo in Kira Municipality.
According to the Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesman, Mr Luke Owoyesigyire, the suspects were netted in an operation on Sunday involving police, UPDF, CMI and the GISO, among others.
“This operation was orchestrated in collaboration with local councils, PISOS, GISO, CMI, UPDF, CI, and area Police, aimed to curb the menace posed by these miscreants,” Mr Owoyesigyire stated in a Monday police statement via X, formerly Twitter.
He said of the 70 suspects netter, “15 were arrested along the Northern Bypass and are currently being held at Kira Road Police Station while 55 were apprehended from areas including Nalya, Kyaliwajjala, Kimbejja, and Namugongo, and are detained at Kira Division Police Station.”
“This decisive action underscores our commitment to maintaining peace and security in our communities. As we gear up for the forthcoming Martyr’s Day activities scheduled for June 3, 2024, we will continue to conduct targeted operations to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents,” Owoyesigyire added.
Locals speak out
Last month, DailyExpress reported how “Residents of Namungongo Division in Kira Municipality opened to security forces to intervene in the wake of alarming deaths resulting from attacks by paver hitmen and thugs in the area.
The hitmen who are said to be in their teens usually attack their victims from 10 pm onwards, spotting them in black spots where there is no or slow human and motor traffic”.
When approached for a comment on Monday morning, Mr Kiboneka Frank, the LC 1 Chairman, Mbalwa 2 said, “In bid to curb crime in the area they intend to have a meeting with the residents to awaken their security consciousness, as we also plan for the safety of pilgrims, during the Namugongo Martyrs period, which attract crowds days before the commemoration day 3rd June”.
He added that; “On top of security patrols, they are carrying out ambushes at different spots and times which have resulted in nabbing culprits who are mainly non-residents”.
Hon. Kamugisha Edin, a former Woman Candidate NRM for Namugongo Division, to Kira Municipality, said, “there is a need for installation of security lights along the roads of Mbalwa and the neighbouring areas”.
On his part, the LC. 1 Chairperson Mbalwa 1, Mr Katogo John, said “what is happening is overwhelming, but what is more worrying are the recurrent murders”. He however called on all the leaders in the areas to be vigilant at all times if the crimes are to be curbed.
Uganda Police Force’s Annual Crime Reports since 2005 indicate that the period between mid-April to June has had the highest crime rate annually.
The criminal incidents’ curve often shoots up starting in April and reaches its peak in May, according to police data for the last 16 years. The curve then levels in June and drops in August.
The average number of incidents per month is around 18,000 criminal cases. But in each month between April and June, the cases rise by anywhere between 2,000 and 5,000.
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