THE proverbial 40 days of four notorious thugs who have resorted to criminal activities as a source of earning a living came to an abrupt end when a vigilant security guard shot dead one of them as they steal scraps from Abyssinia Iron and Steel Uganda Ltd Factory.
One suspect identified only as Reagan was shot dead by a security guard when he and three others were caught red handed at the Danida-Masese factory which is guarded by the stone-faced guards from Priority One Security Group.
24 year old John Buwale is now at the CPS Jinja after he was lucky enough to be arrested alive. Two others took off but the police say a hot pursuit is ongoing and they cannot run or hide forever before they are smoked out for prosecution.
John Buwale ,with exhibits (of the scraps)is now helping detectives to clearly understand their modus operandi and network and collaborators in the illicit activity, which they have mastered over years.
The Kiira Regional Police Spokesperson SP James Mubi has confirmed the incident, which he says serves as a deterrent to would-be youth who, instead of embracing government programmes like Emyooga and PDM, are busy in criminality.
Mubi says the police acted swiftly and visited the scene where they took statements from witnesses adding the body of the dead suspect was taken to the mortuary for post mortem examinations.
He assures members of the general public that the Uganda Police Force (UPF)will continue to execute its core functions, that is, to protect the life, property and other rights of the individual, to maintain security within the country and to enforce the laws of Uganda, among others.
What You Need To Know:
The law defines theft as the taking of another person’s property without that person’s permission with the intent to deprive the owner of it.
According to Section 261 of the Penal Code Act, any person who steals anything capable of being stolen commits the felony called theft and is liable, unless owing to the circumstances of the theft or the nature of the thing stolen some other punishment is provided to imprisonment not exceeding ten years.
Data from the 2023 Crime Report as released by the Uganda Police Force, there was a 1.5% decrease in the number of crimes reported to police from 231,653 cases reported in 2022 to 228,074 cases.
In its executive summary posted on the UPF website, 119,511 crimes representing 52.4% of all crimes were committed in urban centres, while 92,370 cases representing 40.5%were committed along the highways.
The Police say out of the total cases reported to the police countrywide,84,907 cases were taken to court,48,632 were not proceeded with ,while 94,535 cases were still under inquiry by the time the Report was released early this year.
In terms of regional performance, out of the 29 policing regions in the country, North Kyoga registered the highest number of cases followed by Rwizi, Kampala Metropolitan North and South and Albertine.
During the period in question Kiira Region where Jinja City falls recorded one of the lowest sitting at number 22 in the table, a sign of increased community policing and combined vigilance with sister security agencies like the UPDF based at Gadaffi and Magamaga Cantonments.
Out of the 185 police divisions/central police stations, Katwe in the capital registered the highest number of cases, followed by Luwero Police Station, Lira City Station, Rwampara and Old Kampala Police Station.
Jinja stands at number 14, the bottom second last.
Thefts of all kinds stand out in the distribution of crime category as the highest with 31,262,Common Assault with 23,822cases, Domestic Violence with 14,681 cases, obtaining money by False Pretence with more than 10,000 cases, Threatening Violence 10,591,Defilement 8,925 and Cattle Stealing with 8,442 cases during the period under review.
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