Citizens' manifesto: Voters want security beefed up in cities, local areas

Oct 31, 2020

Besides the high crime rate, the next immediate security worry for voters is the limited number of Police posts or presence of security organs in their neighbourhood.

Steven Kina lost his television set when thugs broke into his clinic at Nabitende, Banada parish in Iganga district last year.

Investigations into the incident by a team of detectives from Nabitende Police Post have not yielded much since the alleged culprit remains on the run.

"I managed to get CCTV footage of the suspect. Although he destroyed my security cameras, they had already recorded him in the act," Kina reveals.

He wants security beefed up in the area, especially in the rural neighbourhoods since Police patrols are mainly concentrated in urban areas.

"There is a lot of laxity in the villages. In most cases, the accused persons easily use corrupt means to secure their freedom," he explains.

Kina wants the Government to increase the manpower at local Police posts, most of which are often understaffed and too overwhelmed to deal with security threats.

His concerns resonate with a New Vision public opinion poll, which shows that the high rate of theft and robberies, murder and kidnaps remains is the top national security concerns for voters ahead of the 2021 general elections.

National security is the fifth overall priority for voters after roads, education, poverty and health in rank order, according to the opinion poll conducted by Vision Group in March.

A total of 5,987 respondents across 45 districts were randomly asked to state their most outstanding issues of concern in their localities.

Besides the high crime rate, the next immediate security worry for voters is the limited number of Police posts or presence of security organs in their neighbourhood.

Corruption in the form of authorities asking for bribes and abetting crime is the third most pressing security concern that voters want leaders to address.

The poll findings show that voters' security concerns were more prominent in the central region with 9.8% of responses, followed by northern (7.2%) and the western region (5.9%).

Unprofessional Police conduct, including the misuse of arms, is another key security concern for voters, according to the survey.

However, each of the regions faces unique security threats. For instance, torture by security organs ranks high in the central region but not in any other region, while respondents in northern Uganda voiced concern about cattle rustling.



Although the central region dominates all other regions with regard to security concerns, Kitgum in northern Uganda has the highest score on security fears with 13.5% of respondents pointing it out as their number one threat.

Other districts with a high rate of national security fears include Kaliro (13%), Moroto (11.9%), Mukono (11.8%), Kasese (11.6%), Kapchorwa (11.4%) and Adjumani (11.3%).

In eastern Uganda, respondents voiced concern about limited security at night, while in the northern region the electorate is unhappy about the confiscation of their national IDs by the Police during patrols.

In western Uganda, slothfulness by the Police to carry out investigations and poor handling of reported cases, remain big concerns for voters.

West Nile

Trauma as a result of the long spell of rebel activities remains a prominent security concern for people in northern Uganda, particularly in the West Nile sub-region.

Many of the respondents voiced fears about recent security events. One of them said: "Members are living in fear following the recent incident of rebels attacking Zombo barracks."

Another respondent said: "Most people are afraid to move at night because of the soldiers deployed following the recent attack."

On March 6, at least 100 men, armed with machetes, bows and arrows, raided an army base and killed five soldiers in Agure village, Zombo district.

Three of the soldiers were killed at the base, while two others died in a gunfire exchange in Ajeri Hills as they pursued the attackers, who reportedly made off with three guns and burnt nine huts.

At least 22 civilians were also killed. In the aftermath of the attack, security agencies launched an operation that led to the arrest of 35 of the attackers.

Poll respondents from the area said residents were still shaken by the attack and the heightened security presence in the area.

Security experts speak out

The Uganda People's Defence Forces and defence ministry spokesperson, Brig. Flavia Byekwaso, says fears about high crime rate have been overtaken by events, owing to a general decline in crime in recent months.

Brig. Flavia Byekwaso

"The crime rate has actually decreased since March. One of the interventions was the deployment of Local Defence Unit (LDU) personnel to augment the presence of other security agencies," she explains.

While she acknowledges reports of harassment at the hands of the LDUs, Byekwaso says remedial action was taken in form of refresher training to enhance professionalism.

Byekwaso advises the public to stay vigilant, heed security directives and avoid chaos as the country heads to the polls, with assurance that the joint forces are on high alert to forestall disorder.

Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga says fears about a high crime rate are unfounded since recent reports indicate a decline in crime in Uganda.

Enanga says the Police have expanded both the manpower and visibility of security personnel through recruitment and deployment of more officers across the country.

The force is currently recruiting 5,000 constables, in addition to 10,000 who were recruited last year following a presidential directive to beef up security due to a crime surge at the time.

Following a wave of kidnaps, rape and murder cases, President Yoweri Museveni ordered a review of security measures with a 10-point programme to deal with organised crime.

The measures included gun fingerprint detecting machines, drones, digital signal emitting number plates, thermal sensorpowered CCTV cameras and deployment of LDUs.

Enanga says the measures are working. In addition, at least 1,600 Police stations across the country have active numbers through which residents can contact them for help at any time.

The deployment of hightech surveillance equipment, including CCTV cameras, has equally helped to curb crime, including petty crime in urban areas, he explains.


All firearms in the hands of public and private security agencies have been marked and linked to fingerprints of the bearers to fight indiscipline and abuse.

"The establishment of a modern forensic laboratory with advanced equipment, including DNA and fingerprint analysers, are key measures that have aided investigations," Enanga explains.

High crime rate

The 2019 Crime and Traffic/Road Safety Report shows that there was a 9.8% decrease in crimes reported to Police, from 238,746 cases in 2018 to 215,224 cases in 2019.

The decline is attributed to deliberate efforts by the Government to tackle crime, with the Uganda Police Force and sister security agencies at the helm.

However, the report shows a relative increase in cases of homicide, cybercrimes and corruption-related cases. Defilement still poses a big problem to the Police.

According to the report, 25.8% of all the cases reported in 2019 involved theft (55,704 cases), compared to the 61,533 cases in 2018.

The crime report also shows a 4.9% increase in murder cases, with 4,718 cases of homicide reported to Police by the end of 2019, compared to 4,497 cases the previous year.

The motives behind such killings include land wrangles, people taking the law into their own hands, family misunderstandings, crime of passion and business rivalry, the report says.

The cases of murder by shooting are more rampant in the central region and northern region (including West Nile sub-region), a key finding of the Vision Group public opinion poll.

For robbery, a total of 6,761 cases were reported compared to 7,354 cases reported in 2018.

Kidnaps

Last year, 159 cases of kidnap were reported countrywide, a reduction from 184 cases reported in 2018.

Of these, 117 cases were real kidnaps while 42 cases were of self-kidnap.

Out of 185 persons registered as kidnap victims, 13 victims were killed, 57 victims were tracked and rescued by the Police, and 64 victims were released or abandoned by the alleged kidnappers.

A total of 48 victims or suspects of self-kidnap resurfaced by themselves, while three victims were still missing by end of the year, the Police report shows.

According to the report, kidnaps and abductions are largely motivated by economic gains, vengeance by jilted lovers, extortion or self-gain from relatives, and ritual purposes.

Apart from growing the intelligence network to sniff out potential criminals, the Police and its sister security agencies are mapping out major crime hotspots across the country.


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