Registering cyclists might curb impunity
Sep 23, 2008
AS one of the security measures to check violence in Kampala city, the Police have decided to register all <i>boda-boda</i> cyclists in the city. They also intend to make snap searches of the cyclists at night. This is because most of the recent gun-related crimes in the city involved <i>boda-boda</
AS one of the security measures to check violence in Kampala city, the Police have decided to register all boda-boda cyclists in the city. They also intend to make snap searches of the cyclists at night. This is because most of the recent gun-related crimes in the city involved boda-boda cyclists.
Because boda-bodas are a cheap mode of transport, many people fall victim to some unscrupulous cyclists who are criminals themselves or connive with criminals to rob or harm people in other ways.
The Police should be commended for this move because it was long overdue. Boda-boda cyclists have become a menace because it is easy for them to break the law and vanish into thin air. They are simply too many and everywhere and following them up is a real problem!
Because most of them are reckless, many passengers have suffered grievous harm in accidents but the culprits have not been brought to book because there is no organised system to track them down!
Police should not stop at registering them but should also allocate them numbers, and work hand in hand with stage chairmen and Kampala City Council.
These numbers should be placed on their reflector jackets, and should be clearly visible so that when a cyclist is wanted, he can be traced easily according to his number.
Every division in the city should have a number so that it is easy to tell where a particular cyclist operates from. For example, when a Kawempe cyclist knocks down someone at Nsambya and flees, it will be easy to follow him up in Kawempe.
Once these people know that there is a water-tight system of catching up with them, they will be less disposed to committing crime. With time, the crime wave in Kampala and the whole country will considerably come down and so will accidents which have deprived many people of their lives.
Because boda-bodas are a cheap mode of transport, many people fall victim to some unscrupulous cyclists who are criminals themselves or connive with criminals to rob or harm people in other ways.
The Police should be commended for this move because it was long overdue. Boda-boda cyclists have become a menace because it is easy for them to break the law and vanish into thin air. They are simply too many and everywhere and following them up is a real problem!
Because most of them are reckless, many passengers have suffered grievous harm in accidents but the culprits have not been brought to book because there is no organised system to track them down!
Police should not stop at registering them but should also allocate them numbers, and work hand in hand with stage chairmen and Kampala City Council.
These numbers should be placed on their reflector jackets, and should be clearly visible so that when a cyclist is wanted, he can be traced easily according to his number.
Every division in the city should have a number so that it is easy to tell where a particular cyclist operates from. For example, when a Kawempe cyclist knocks down someone at Nsambya and flees, it will be easy to follow him up in Kawempe.
Once these people know that there is a water-tight system of catching up with them, they will be less disposed to committing crime. With time, the crime wave in Kampala and the whole country will considerably come down and so will accidents which have deprived many people of their lives.