Gulu scrap dealers on the spot over conniving with thieves

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Gulu city mayor Alfred Okwonga has asked the scrap dealers operating within the city to desist from abetting criminality. He has asked them to instead stick to their business.

Okwonga says some scrap dealers connive with the criminal gangs to steal people’s valuables, and load them among the scraps to Kampala city, where they are sold off.

Okwonga on July 1, 2025, also asked the lower local leaders of areas where the scrap dealers operate to ensure that they only operate between 7:00am and 6:00pm, and those who fail to comply with the stipulated time should be ejected.

He made the call following a recent incident in Layibi Centre, Laroo–Pece division, where one scrap dealer was apprehended while loading stolen property among the scrap metals she bought.

The property includes 56 saucepans, six wheelbarrows, five kettles, seven iron boxes, four spades, and steel bars for building, according to Patrick Obong, the defence secretary of the area.

According to the Police Force, by the end of 2024, 61,529 cases registered at Police (representing 28% of the total reported cases) were due to theft as compared to 65,901 cases reported in 2023, giving a decrease of 6.6% theft cases registered country wide. Theft cases were mainly motivated by economic gains.

The Police Annual Crime Report 2024 says by the end of 2024, out of the total theft cases reported to Police, 29,795 cases were taken to Court, 9,809 cases were not proceeded with, while 21,925 cases are still under inquiry.

39,820 cases were submitted to DPP/RSA for perusal and legal guidance. Out of the 29,795 cases taken to Court, 11,172 cases secured convictions, 456 cases were acquitted, 4,081 cases were dismissed while 14,086 cases are still pending in Court.