Crime cases in Uganda rise by 18%

Crime cases in Uganda rise by 18%.
The government of Uganda recorded a rise in crime cases across the country. This was attributed to the high levels of poverty and unemployment. The government urged the citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police. It also urged the citizens to cooperate with the police in the fight against crime.
In 2022, we note that there was an 18% increase in the number of crimes reported to Police from 196,081 cases reported in 2021 to231,653 cases. The main reason for this is that the economy was fully open after the Covid-19 lockdown, and people were more confident in reporting crimes to Police. IGP Okoth Ochola made this announcement during the release of the annual crime report at Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala on Wednesday.
In 2017, there were a total of 28,419 cases of theft reported in England and Wales. This was the highest number of any type of crime, followed by Common Assault with 26,126 cases, Domestic Violence with 17,698 cases, Obtaining by False Pretences with 10,652 cases, Threatening Violence with 10,345 cases, Defilements with 8,960 cases and Criminal Trespass with 8,418 cases.
Out of the total cases reported to Police in 2022, 68,405 cases were taken to Court, 26,749 cases were not proceeded with, while 136,499 cases were still under inquiry.
This means that a significant number of cases reported to police are not pursued through the criminal justice system. There could be a number of reasons for this, including insufficient evidence to proceed with a case, cases being withdrawn by the complainant, or cases being dealt with through alternative measures such as restorative justice.
Police officials in Uganda say that the number of cases brought to court has increased by 5.2% from the previous year. They attribute this improvement to better police work and cooperation from the public. In 2021, a total of 65,008 cases were taken to court, while 60,095 cases were not proceeded with and 70,978 cases were under inquiry.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of cases taken to Court. Out of the cases taken to Court, 10,648 secured convictions, 38 cases were acquitted, 213 cases were dismissed while 57,508 cases are still pending in Court. The increase in the number of cases taken to Court has been attributed to the growing awareness of people’s rights and the increased willingness of people to assert them.
Traffic
Crime cases in Uganda rise by 18%.
The Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety released a report showing a 35% increase in common traffic offences registered countrywide from 336,722 cases in 2021 to 456,993 cases in 2022. The increase was seen in all types of offences, with the most notable being speeding, which saw a 61% increase.
The directorate attributed the increases to the growing number of vehicles on the roads and the increasing number of people choosing to drive recklessly. It has called on the government to invest more in road safety education and enforcement in order to reduce the number of traffic accidents and fatalities.
Road traffic crashes are a major public safety issue in Kenya. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the number of road traffic crashes increased by 16.9% from 17,443 in 2021 to 20,394 in 2022. Of these, 3,901 were fatal, 10,776 were serious while 5,717 were minor by nature.
This is a cause for concern, as it suggests that more people are being injured or killed on Kenya’s roads. We need to do more to improve road safety and reduce the number of accidents. Some measures that could be taken include improving road infrastructure.
Police say its focus has been on improving the quality of services offered to the public in terms of enhanced law and order, engagement of communities through community policing programmes, capacity building, and developing the initial phase of digitalising our processes for purposes of easing detection, reporting, tracking, supervision and analysis of crime trends. This has led to increased public satisfaction with police services, as well as a decrease in the overall crime rate. In addition, the department has also been able to better engage with the community and build trust, which is essential for effective law enforcement.
The management of Uganda’s Prisons Force (UPF) has also focused on improving the welfare of personnel, especially in terms of accommodation, to enhance performance, according to Ochola.
Since 2017, the UPF has been undergoing reforms aimed at enhancing its performance. This has included improving the wellbeing of personnel, with a focus on accommodation.
The UPF is responsible for the safety and security of over 70,000 prisoners in Uganda. It is therefore essential that its personnel are well-supported and have good working conditions.
The accommodation improvements are part of a wider package of measures to support UPF personnel. Other initiatives include training and development programmes, as well as financial and medical support.