Crime up in central region
Mar 25, 2009
Crime in the central region has gone up in the past two months, the regional Police commander, Alfred Bitwire, has said. He said the most common crime in January and February was murder resulting from land and family conflicts.
By Alex Bukumunhe
Crime in the central region has gone up in the past two months, the regional Police commander, Alfred Bitwire, has said. He said the most common crime in January and February was murder resulting from land and family conflicts.
“We have not been reaching the communities to teach people how to prevent crime. People do not have confidence to inform us before a crime is committed,†he said.
Bitwire was addressing district Police commanders, officers in-charge of Police stations, criminal investigation officers and traffic officers during a regional Police management meeting at Mukono Resort Hotel.
The meeting was organised by the central Police headquarters to find ways of curbing crime in the districts of Mukono, Kayunga, Nakaseke, Mpigi, Entebbe, Wakiso, Nakasongola, Mityana, Kiboga and Mubende.
Bitwire urged the Police chiefs to instill discipline and nationalism among the officers they lead. “Monitor those night road-blocks because most of the officers are often drunk. Others are just lazy. Instead of arresting a suspect, they will just shoot,†he said.
Bitwire urged the officers to form security groups at the village level to ease investigations of crime.
Mukono resident district commissioner Maj. David Matovu said efforts to curb crime were being frustrated by resident state attorneys. He said the attorneys close case files without considering all aspects of the investigations.
“Recently a three-year-old girl was defiled in Seeta by a 70-year-old man. The Police investigated and the doctor’s report confirmed that the girl had been defiled, but the resident state attorney just closed the file, saying he did not agree with the doctor’s report,†Matovu said.
He urged the Police to inform the complainants about the progress of their cases, saying it was through such openness that the public would trust them and stop accusing them of being corrupt.
Crime in the central region has gone up in the past two months, the regional Police commander, Alfred Bitwire, has said. He said the most common crime in January and February was murder resulting from land and family conflicts.
“We have not been reaching the communities to teach people how to prevent crime. People do not have confidence to inform us before a crime is committed,†he said.
Bitwire was addressing district Police commanders, officers in-charge of Police stations, criminal investigation officers and traffic officers during a regional Police management meeting at Mukono Resort Hotel.
The meeting was organised by the central Police headquarters to find ways of curbing crime in the districts of Mukono, Kayunga, Nakaseke, Mpigi, Entebbe, Wakiso, Nakasongola, Mityana, Kiboga and Mubende.
Bitwire urged the Police chiefs to instill discipline and nationalism among the officers they lead. “Monitor those night road-blocks because most of the officers are often drunk. Others are just lazy. Instead of arresting a suspect, they will just shoot,†he said.
Bitwire urged the officers to form security groups at the village level to ease investigations of crime.
Mukono resident district commissioner Maj. David Matovu said efforts to curb crime were being frustrated by resident state attorneys. He said the attorneys close case files without considering all aspects of the investigations.
“Recently a three-year-old girl was defiled in Seeta by a 70-year-old man. The Police investigated and the doctor’s report confirmed that the girl had been defiled, but the resident state attorney just closed the file, saying he did not agree with the doctor’s report,†Matovu said.
He urged the Police to inform the complainants about the progress of their cases, saying it was through such openness that the public would trust them and stop accusing them of being corrupt.