Police recover stolen firearm, warn against leaving guns and cash at home
“Once they gained access, they exploited the opportunity and ended up stealing three television sets,” Kituuma said.
Kituuma used the incident to remind licensed firearm holders of their legal responsibility to ensure guns are securely stored at all times.
Police have recovered a firearm stolen during a house break-in in Kampala and cautioned the public against leaving firearms and large sums of cash at home, saying such practices expose families to criminals and increase the risk of violence.
Speaking at a press conference held at Police Headquarters in Naguru today, July 5, police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said the burglary occurred on July 1 in Nabuti cell, Mukono district, after suspected thieves tricked a housemaid into giving them access to her boss' residence.
Police declined to name the homeowner for fear of jeopardising investigations.
According to Kituuma, the suspects convinced the maid that they had been sent by the homeowner to collect a 42-inch television.
“Once they gained access, they exploited the opportunity and ended up stealing three television sets,” Kituuma said.
Police immediately launched investigations into the burglary and have since recovered the stolen firearm.
“By good fortune, we managed to recover the firearm, which is now in our custody,” Kituuma said, adding that efforts to recover the remaining stolen property and arrest the suspects are ongoing.
Kituuma used the incident to remind licensed firearm holders of their legal responsibility to ensure guns are securely stored at all times.
Kituuma used the incident to remind licensed firearm holders of their legal responsibility to ensure guns are securely stored at all times. (Credit: Alfred Ochwo)
“When you leave a firearm in a house where only the maid is present, you have inadvertently left that gun with the maid, even if you never physically handed it over. Under the law, leaving a firearm unattended is a very reckless act,” he said.
He warned that unattended firearms can easily end up in criminal hands or even be used against members of the household.
He noted that similar tactics have previously been used by armed robbers and cattle rustlers operating in the Karamoja sub-region.
The police spokesperson also discouraged members of the public against keeping large amounts of cash in their homes, saying such information often reaches criminals.
“When people receive large sums of money, they should remember that money comes from somewhere. There is always someone who knows you have collected it. That is how criminals identify potential targets,” he said.
Kituuma urged the public to use banks and other secure financial channels instead of storing millions of shillings in their homes.
He appealed to Ugandans to take police crime prevention messages seriously, saying many robberies and fraud cases could be avoided through better security practices.
“There is clear evidence that people are being harmed, injured and defrauded because they ignore these safety messages. We appeal to the public to take our advisories seriously because they are intended to prevent crime and protect lives,” Kituuma said.