National crime preventers' forum

By Sylivia Ampumuza

Criminology experts have often intimidated that has no colour, race, language or politics. The perpetuators of crime leave their victims devastated, in despair which crumples societal values in their trail.

In spite of the untiring effort of the Uganda Police Force, crime has still continued to be a scar in the conscience of our people and indeed an alibi on the many unemployed young people in our communities. 

It is against such a background that National Crime Preventers Forum (NCPF) was incepted in June 2013, after a series of somber crimes in universities like gang-rape, murders, assaults etc.

The primary initiative of the NCPF was to support law enforcement agencies and Uganda police force to report, cab the habitual crimes, ‘bringing to book’ their perpetuators and preventing the same from ever recurring.

Over the years, the forum has matured and metamorphosed into a holistic non-government organisation that has not only engendered crime prevention through equipping the citizenry with self-defense skills to reduce their vulnerability to criminals but has also successfully explored job creation opportunities, ideological orientation and youth empowerment in the entire country.

NCPF has a secretariat through which numerous progressive projects intended to further nation building, economic development and growth have been accorded with immutable success, for example, the call centre which currently employs 200 people on routine basis and the think centre; where advances in technology are delved.

Through the secretariat NCPF has succeeded in establishing study groups constituting over 30 members per village across the country. These study groups are avenues where a wide range of public interest issues are discussed, reviewed, resolutions are documented and submitted to policy makers and government for better accountability, efficiency and incorruptible use of scare public resources.

These study groups have also been incorporated within universities and tertiary institutions. They are drivers of patriotism, pan Africanism and nationalism. With these NCPF has created apparatuses against which clear minded elite youth are continually mentored.

The consortium of the study groups has attained the forum mileage to organise memorable national conventions like fathers of the nation public lecture, inter university security meeting after the Garrisa attacks in Kenya, community policing marathons etc.

NCPF has built one of the most strategically structured savings and credit cooperatives; Mwangaza SACCO. This SACCO is a fully registered cooperative with over 6,000 subscribers. The core rationale of the SACCO is to motivate and encourage savings for purposes of economic empowerment in turn leading to investment and boost social capital.

The co-operative further offers intern placements to youth in order to attain pragmatic experience in book keeping, accounts and business administration.

In partnership with the Police, NCPF has been able to carry out a skills development and ideological orientation training programme in Kabalye Police Training School. The programme has realised the passing out of more than 10,000 cadres who undergo training in self-defense, holding of fire arms, ideology and entrepreneurial skills.

This programme has received immutable blessings from senior government officials like the President of the Republic of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the IGP, Gen. Kale Kayihura. The Kabalye programme continues to train noble patriots in Uganda to date.

On the directive of President Museveni, the forum, in conjunction with the office of the Inspector General of Police, has helped to expose corrupt traffic officers in the Police traffic department. An estimated 500 traffic officers have been arrested on grounds of negligence and corruption. Statistics from the Police traffic department indicate a reduction in corruption tendencies by 83% since the operation began.

The forum continues to strive to realise a crime free society, a reduction in escalating unemployment and with other stakeholders build a self-sustain economy.

This endeavour has birthed harmonious relations with the office of the prime minister where the former has been tasked to complement existing monitoring agencies to ensure that public resources are effectively utilised.

NCPF is in further advance to solidify partnerships with the Office of the President of the Republic of Uganda, office of the prime minister, Uganda Police Force, Private Sector Foundation and patriotic youth groups to not only prevent crime but also create synergy to steer Uganda forward.

The writer is the public relations officer of the National Crime Prevention Forum