Uganda developing coordination centre to fight organised crime — DPP
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Lino Anguzu, said the move comes as organised crime and terrorism increasingly exploit digital technologies, artificial intelligence, encrypted communications, virtual assets and cross-border financial systems.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Lino Anguzu. (File photo)
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Uganda is developing a National Coordination Centre for Organised Crime to strengthen coordination among law enforcement and justice agencies in the fight against sophisticated criminal networks.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Lino Anguzu, said the move comes as organised crime and terrorism increasingly exploit digital technologies, artificial intelligence, encrypted communications, virtual assets and cross-border financial systems.
He made the remarks while addressing the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in the United Arab Emirates under Agenda Item 5, focusing on addressing and countering crime, including organised crime and terrorism.
In a statement on Wednesday, the DPP noted that criminal and terrorist networks are using emerging technologies to expand their reach, conceal illicit proceeds and operate across jurisdictions.
Uganda also called for stronger cooperation among justice, financial intelligence and law enforcement institutions to tackle the increasingly interconnected nature of organised crime.
Anguzu said Uganda's experience demonstrates both progress and continuing challenges in combating crime.
However, the case disposal rate stood at 59.7%, highlighting continuing pressures on the justice system, including capacity constraints.
The Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report 2025 indicates that 196,405 crimes were reported during the year, compared with 218,715 in 2024, representing a 10.2% decline.
The national crime rate also fell from 476 to 427.8 crimes per 100,000 people.
During the year, 115,301 cases were submitted to the Office of the DPP, with 79,291 taken to court and 24,899 resulting in convictions.
Despite the decline in overall crime, emerging forms of crime continue to pose significant challenges.
“In 2025, police recorded 412 cybercrime cases, while 18 money-laundering cases involving approximately sh20b and one terrorism-financing case involving about sh1.2b were reported,” siad the DPP.
Uganda has responded by strengthening specialised structures within the Uganda Police Force, ODPP, Financial Intelligence Authority and Judiciary to handle terrorism and related offences, money laundering and other financial crimes, cybercrime, international cooperation in criminal matters, and asset tracing and recovery.
The training, he said, should focus on enabling justice institutions to respond effectively to cyber-enabled crime, terrorism financing and other emerging threats.
Uganda also underscored the importance of countries actively participating in reviews under the Organized Crime Convention's Review Mechanism.
Uganda's review, conducted by Eswatini and Lithuania, is before the Implementation Review Group in Vienna this October.
The DPP said adequately resourced review processes are essential to translating assessments and recommendations into concrete action.
Uganda's position is also informed by the UNODC Strategic Analysis of Organised Crime in Uganda, which highlights links between organised crime, transnational trafficking, illicit financial flows and cyber-enabled crime.
The DPP said these developments require intelligence-led and technology-enabled responses, supported by effective cooperation across institutions and national borders.
“Uganda remains committed to working with all Member States and partners to build criminal justice systems and come up with solutions capable of anticipating, preventing, investigating and prosecuting current as well as emerging and evolving forms of crimes."