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Security agencies launch community policing drive
The Kabarole District Police Commander, Mr Musa Tibakirana, told Daily Monitor in an interview yesterday that the launch of the operations will also help to sensitise the public
Kabarole. Security agencies in Fort Portal Municipality, Kabarole District, have launched a community policing and neighbourhood watch operation to crack down on perpetrators of child kidnaps.
According to authorities, the operation will involve registration of all village members and establishment of security committees comprised of 10 people from 10 households in each village.
The Kabarole District Police Commander, Mr Musa Tibakirana, told Daily Monitor in an interview yesterday that the launch of the operations will also help to sensitise the public.
“Every village chairperson in the municipality will be required to register every resident in his area. They will also be required to hold monthly meetings,” Mr Tibakirana said.
The operation comes after three children in Fort Portal Town have been kidnapped within two months and parents have been asked to pay huge amounts of money for ransom.
In all kidnap cases the children have been abducted from their homes at night. One of the kidnapped children was killed and two others returned after a ransom was paid.
Parents cautioned
Security agencies in Kabarole District during several security meetings held with parents cautioned them against paying ransom to the kidnappers saying it is escalating the crime.
Mr Tibakirana said they have opted for community policing as the Force is constrained by man power to guard every home.
“This time parents will be reporting to our committee members in villages or police posts immediately they hear of any problem. The challenge we have is that parents negotiate with kidnappers which is not acceptable at all,” Mr Tibakirana said.
The Rwenzori regional police commander, Mr Bob Kagarura, said they are working tirelessly to arrest all people behind the kidnaps and theft of vehicle number plates.
He advised residents to collaborate with police by freely offering information.
However, parents have asked the security agencies to increase security lights on roads of many suburbs and use technology to arrest impersonators.
Mr Robert Tusiime, a resident of Kabarole Hill Village, said the kidnappers steal phones from homes before abducting child and later use them to demand ransom.
RDC warns
The deputy Resident District commissioner, Mr Festus Bandeeba, said 95 per cent of the people in the country who pay ransom in most cases find their children killed warning that paying ransom should not be an option. “The neighbourhood watch will work this time because the people themselves in the villages will work as intelligence to report any matter to police” Mr Bandeeba said. Child kidnaps have been reported at Kiculeta, Kabarole hill and Kitete villages.
