Police arrest 359 in nationwide crackdown targeting drug, robbery hotspots
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said the operations were conducted as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt criminal networks and prevent crime.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)
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Police have arrested 359 suspects in coordinated operations targeting crime hotspots, drug-selling points and locations associated with robberies, housebreaking and other offences across the country.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said the operations were conducted as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt criminal networks and prevent crime.
Addressing journalists at Police Headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, on Monday, August 24, Kituuma said the operations were based on intelligence, police assessments and information provided by communities about areas associated with criminal activity.
He said police targeted locations identified as crime hotspots, including drug-selling points, robbery spots and areas linked to housebreaking, phone snatching, sexual violence and possession of narcotics.
The operations involved the Force, other security agencies, local leaders and community structures.
Kituuma said the arrests did not mean that all 359 suspects would automatically be charged.
“It's not that all those whom we arrest, we automatically take them to court,” he said.
He explained that suspects are screened during investigations, and some are released when police establish that there is insufficient evidence against them.
“There are those who, during interaction with us, we find that they have a genuine explanation why charges should not be preferred against them,” he said.
The police spokesperson said some people may find themselves arrested simply because they were found in areas known for criminal activity or in the company of suspected criminals.
“Maybe you are an engineer who is just playing cards with people maybe on the wanted list,” Kituuma said, explaining that police must establish why such a person was in the area and whether they were involved in criminal activity.
He cautioned members of the public against resisting arrest or engaging officers in arguments.
“If you think that the junior officers do not understand you, then ask for a senior officer,” he said.
Kituuma urged suspects and members of the public to explain their circumstances calmly rather than engaging police officers in physical confrontations.
He said the operations are continuing and that police will continue updating the public on their progress.
Police target criminal networks
Kituuma also linked the operations to investigations into networks dealing in stolen property, particularly mobile phones and other valuables.
He said police had uncovered networks of individuals who buy, sell or conceal property whose ownership cannot be satisfactorily explained.
“These individuals provide a ready market for criminal gangs,” Kituuma said.
He warned dealers who knowingly purchase stolen property that they could face arrest and prosecution because their activities encourage violent criminals to continue targeting members of the public.
Kituuma said some victims lose their lives during robberies before their property reaches dealers and shops.
He therefore warned traders against buying suspicious phones and other valuables simply because they are offered at prices below those on the legitimate market.
The police spokesperson urged members of the public to be cautious when purchasing second-hand phones and other valuables, particularly where sellers cannot satisfactorily explain their origin.
“Don't rush for transactions with sellers who can't explain the source of their items,” he said.
He also encouraged the public to report suspected stolen property and dealers suspected of handling stolen goods to the nearest police station.
Suspects linked to other offences
Kituuma said investigations had also established links between some of the suspects arrested in the recent killing of David Owor, captain of Sports Club Villa, and other crime scenes.
He said police were continuing to compare information obtained from suspects with reports from previous robbery and phone-snatching incidents to determine whether the same individuals were involved in multiple offences.
He said more arrests could follow as investigators work to dismantle criminal networks and disrupt markets for stolen property.
“Some of these suspects, we have them, and there are more others we are likely to arrest, so that we disorganise these groups,” Kituuma said.
He appealed to the public to support police investigations by providing information about suspicious individuals, stolen property and businesses dealing in unexplained goods.
The crackdown, he said, will continue as police seek to identify both the perpetrators of violent crimes and the networks that provide markets for stolen property.