Seventy suspects have been arrested in connection with terrorising motorists along Northern Bypass as well as masterminding robberies in the areas of Kimbejja, Kyaliwajala, and Namugongo in Kiira Municipality, Wakiso District.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy spokesman Luke Owoyesigyire said the suspects were netted in an operation on Sunday involving police, UPDF, CMI and the GISO, among others.
“In response to the escalating incidents of paver/stone throwing by criminal elements along the northern bypass (Kiira Road) and in the vicinities of Kimbejja, Kyaliwajala, and Namugongo (Kiira Division), a coordinated joint operation was swiftly initiated,” he said in a statement on Monday.
He said among the suspects, 15 were arrested along the Northern Bypass and are currently being held at Kiira Road Police Station while 55 were apprehended from areas including Nalya, Kyaliwajjala, Kimbejja, and Namugongo, and are detained at Kiira Division Police Station.
He urged those who have been victims of the suspects to report to police.
Some of the victims told the Kampala Report that the criminals throw rocks at motorists, shatter car windscreens, forcing the latter to stop. The criminals then rob them of all items.
Residents are also telling police that in homes, assailants strike in the dead of the night, and use traditional implements such as axes and pliers to cut through burglar-proofing.
They also disable Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and steal the server to dismantle evidence.
According to Uganda Police Force annual crime reports since 2005, the period between mid-April to June has had the highest crime rate annually.
The criminal incidents’ curve often shoots up starting in April and reaches its peak in May, according to police data for the last 16 years. The curve then levels in June and drops in August.
The average number of incidents per month is around 18,000 criminal cases. But in each month between April and June, the cases rise by anywhere between 2,000 and 5,000.