Digital plates; criminals will fly without perching

But not many (myself included) are disappointed at this failure to take off. After all, as vehicle owners we stare at a setback of another Shs714,000 for new number plates and Shs150,000 to replace the ones we have -but which we did not ask to be changed.

That said, the new plates are supposed to help curb crimes orchestrated by the mis(use) of motor vehicles and motorcycles.

Motorcycles, especially, have a reputation for being the convenient contraption and means of conveyance for assassins. They come with ease to get away from scenes of crime and literally disappear into thin air.

The deaths of AIGP Felix Kaweesi, Col Ibrahim Abiriga, Maj Mohammed Kiggundu, Prosecutor Joan Kagezi, Muhammed Kirumira and several Muslim clerics followed a similar pattern. The attempted assassination of Transport and Works minister Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, which saw the death of his daughter and driver, was no different.

Hence the proposition to have digital number plates fitted on all motor vehicles and motorcycles with trackers supposedly linked to CCTV cameras.

The cameras will have a record of each vehicle that passes by. The plates digitally have the details of the owner and lead the authorities to them. That becomes the first suspect who if need be directs authorities to the perpetrator of the crime.

If you have watched James Bond movies and other Sci-fi films the whole digital plate thing makes a lot of sense. It ostensibly puts criminals in vehicles on notice as all eyes are on them.

But you also need to look at the whole picture of crime in Uganda today.

The Uganda Police has a very detailed annual crime report on its website. https://www.upf.go.ug/download/the-2022-annual-crime-report/. This 2022 version makes very great reading.

For instance on page 26 Table 5 gives a summary of  the leading crimes by category (January – December 2022.)

They are broken down under 18 headings. Theft of all kinds, common assault, domestic violence, obtaining by false pretense, threatening violence, defilement, criminal trespass, cattle stealing, malicious damage to property, theft of cash, theft of mobile phones, burglaries, child neglect, aggravated assault (general,) theft of motorcycles, simple robbery (general,) aggravated defilement and house break-ins.

Theft of all kinds (general) registered the highest number of cases (28,419 cases), followed by common assault with 26,126 cases, domestic violence with 17,698 cases, obtaining by false pretence with 10,652 cases, threatening violence with 10,345 cases, defilement with 8,960 cases and criminal trespass with 8,418.

From this table and several other tables that analyse selected crimes like murder or those against children like abortion or neglect, domestic violence, defilement, and house break-ins, one would be hard-pressed to really link them to motor vehicles where we have put together an expensive solution in digital plates.

Take the case of the dreaded tactic now of iron bar hit men who are terrorising many suburbs. Criminals simply emerge from secluded dark areas, especially bushy places, strike the victim and disappear into the darkness. How will the digital plate sort this out?

Let’s face it, the issue of motor vehicles in crime has often made serious headlines when it affects high-profile victims like those named above.

Yes, we have to protect every citizen both high and low in status. But we have to be careful lest we suffer serious ridicule after all the promises these expensive digital plates make.

We have a bad history in this vein. We faced it when we went into a frenzy; registering all our phones plus the installation of CCTV cameras.

Many people still use phones and get away with crime. Similarly many crimes have happened under the watch of CCTV cameras but not all of them have been satisfactorily prosecuted.

Even then we still have a serious challenge of low coverage of CCTV cameras in the country. Besides, there have been several reports of many of the cameras not functioning at all. How will we put in place a foolproof system to read the plates?

Then there is the problem of intermittent supply of electricity to power the cameras at all times.  What happens when a crime takes place and the cameras are off due to a lack of power?

Besides we have had cases of recorded images ‘disappearing,’ from the system which is manned by human beings. Are we set to have a special set of humans with integrity and immunity to debauchery?

In some cases where individuals related to the government or working for its perpetuation are involved, the recordings of cameras have ended up in controversy. The case of the police running over an opposition supporter in the vicinity of the camera comes to mind. How sure are we that we won’t have these vices in the new system?

 Have we put in place a system that stops officers of the law from poking holes in the system to protect their own interests in the commission of a crime?

What about the entire chain in the law and order sector? Will everyone take seriously the evidence gathered by our CCTVs from the digital plates to ensure that they as prosecutors and judges properly use the evidence gathered to adequately punish criminals?

This country has a terrible scourge of officers of the law tampering with evidence to let criminals off the hook and if that is not addressed it renders all lofty efforts a great mockery.

Remember criminals in Uganda are like Chinua Achebe’s Eneke, the bird that learnt to fly without perching because men learnt to shoot without missing.

  So as we move forward with the project come October, we need to delve deeper into the causes of crime as a whole.

The expensive digital plates for over 2.2 million vehicles and over a million motorcycles on the road are pushing trillions of shillings away from other productive activities of already economically hard-pressed individuals. It should not end up being a white elephant and a means of enriching a few individuals and leaving criminals off the hook.

Mr Sengoba is a commentator on political and social issues

Twitter: @nsengoba