KAMPALA – Cases of animal theft, cash robbery, cyber crime, motorcycle robbery and mob action have remained high despite an overall remarkable decline in crime, the 2019 police report shows.
According to the crime and traffic/road safety report for 2019, whereas there was a 9.8% decrease in the volume of crimes reported to Police from 238,746 cases in 2018 to 215,224 cases in 2019, some cases particularly remained high.
For example, animal theft cases reported in 2019 were 7,665 compared to 7,165 in 2018. This marked an increase of 7.0%. A total of 22,064 animals, which included goats, sheep, cattle, pigs and donkeys were stolen in 2019. Of these, 11,442 were cattle. A total of 9,133 stolen animals were recovered by police.
There was also a remarkable rise in the number of cash robbery cases, with 426 cases reported in 2019 compared to 390 in 2018, indicating a 9.2% rise. A total of Shs3.285b was stolen in 2019, of which Shs150 million was recovered.
Aggravated robbery of motorcycles also shot up in 2019, with 529 cases recorded compared to 481 in 2018, indicating a 9.9% increase. Kampala, Wakiso, Arua, Luweero and Gulu districts registered the highest number of cases.
Cases of mob action increased from 636 in 2018 to 746 in 2019. A total of 773 were lynched, with Masaka, Mbarara, Busoga and Arua registering more cases than the rest.
Cybercrime cases also rose from 198 in 2018 to 248 in 2019, of which Shs11.4b was stolen through impersonation, Sim card swapping and ATM fraud.
On traffic and Road Safety, there was a 0.4% increase in the number of crashes reported from 12,805 in 2018 to 12,858 in 2019, out of which 3,407 were fatal, 5,992 were serious and 3,459 were minor.
Presenting the report on Tuesday, April 28, Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth-Ochola said: “There was relative increase in cases of homicide, cyber-crimes and corruption related cases. Defilement still poses a big problem to the Police. In 2019, whereas there was decrease in defilement cases by 11.4% from 2018, a total of 13,682 children were defiled, majority of whom being the girl child. This is unacceptable.”
Organised criminal
“Organised criminal syndicates committed heinous crimes within the regions of Kampala Metropolitan Policing Area, Greater Masaka, and Busoga areas. I am happy to report that in 2019, a total of ten criminal syndicates were dismantled, their members arrested and
charged accordingly, and others have been sentenced to death by hanging,” he said.
The IGP added that whereas there was a 1.9% decrease in cases of fire emergencies handled in 2019, there were 24 false calls responded to by the Fire and Rescue Services Directorate.
“This does not only put the lives of our officers in danger but is also a waste of resources and time for the Force. I urge the citizens of our country to desist from making
false calls about fire emergencies,” Mr Ochola said.
He hailed the President for his guidance and support to the Uganda Police Force in ensuring a safe and secure Uganda.
“I wish to extend my appreciation to the public, JLOS institutions, and all other partners for their continued support in the fight against crime.
My appreciation goes to Uganda Police top management, Director CID, Crime Data Management Department and all UPF records officers throughout the country for putting together this work.
Finally, my appreciation goes to all men and women of the Uganda Police Force for your tireless efforts amidst challenges of fighting crime. Keep up the spirit.”
