At least 12 people were murdered everyday in 2020, according to the latest Uganda Police Annual Crime and Traffic/road Safety report.
The report released on Monday at Police headquarters in Naguru shows that over 4,460 people were killed last year where over 547 persons were lynched, 1,358 died of assault as a result of poisoning, arson, shooting, mob action while 547 people died by being hit with blunt objects.
Out of 547 persons lynched, 518 were male adults, 22 were female adults and 07 were male juveniles.
Although death by assault in 2020 decreased, it is still the leading cause of murder in Uganda having over 1,358 in 2020 compared to 1,773 cases reported in 2019, giving a 23.4 percent decrease. Assault is followed by murder using blunt objects, murder by mob action among other causes.
While presenting the report to the media, the Director for Criminal Investigation Directorate Assistant Inspector General of Police Grace Akullo said that murder by mob actions has also decreased wherein the year 2020, 540 cases were reported compared to 746 cases reported in 2019, giving a decrease of 27.6 percent.
Akullo however noted that the year 2020 was a particularly challenging year in terms of maintaining law and order given the fact the country was facing a pandemic and at the same time the pressure of the general elections.
“The containment measures put in place by the government to stop the spread of Covid-19 affected the general administration of justice for all Justice Law and Order Sector,” she said.
On theother hand, IGP Martin Okoth Ochola told journalists that in the year 2020, there was an 8.9 percent decrease in the volume of crimes reported to Police from 215,224 cases in 2019 to 195,931 cases in the year 2020.
“There was also a 4.7 percent reduction in the number of traffic accidents reported in 2020 from 12,858 accidents reported in 2019 to 12,249 accidents reported in 2020. On the contrary, in terms of Fire and Rescue emergencies, there was a 1.6% increase in incidents handled, from 999 incidents handled in 2019 to 1,015 handled in 2020,” Ochola noted.
Meanwhile, 214 cases of human trafficking, were registered in 2020 compared to 252 cases registered in 2019 giving a decrease of 15.1 percent.
Incidents of internal trafficking were 118, incidents of transnational trafficking were 93 while Incidents of suspected trafficking were 03 a total of 666 persons were victims of Trafficking in Persons in 2020 compared to 455 victims in 2019 of the 666 victims in 2020, 497 were victims of transnational trafficking, 166 were victims of internal trafficking while 03 victims were unknown.
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