CRIME REPORT: 11 lives lost daily in 2021

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | An average of 11 lives were lost each day in 2021, according to an annual crime police report compiled by the Criminal Investigations Directorate. Altogether, 3, 912 lives were lost during the year through assault, poisoning, arson, shooting, domestic violence or mob action.

There were 1,095 cases of assault resulting in death, followed by aggravated domestic violence with 376 cases, and 373 strangulations. Additionally, a total of 321 people were shot dead during the year, and 759 people were killed through mob action.

“By the end of 2021, a total of 759 cases of murder by mob action were reported compared to 540 cases reported in 2020, indicating an increase of 40.5 per cent. 762 persons were lynched and 303 cases of shooting were reported during the period under review compared to 249 cases reported in 2020, showing a 21.6 per cent increase,” the report shows.

The Inspector-General of Police, Martin Okoth Ochola, highlighted the challenges, strategies and recommendations that the Uganda Police Force intends to adopt in fighting crime while launching the report at the Police headquarters in Naguru this morning. Ochola adds that crimes slightly creased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

”Generally, in the year 2021, there was a 0.1 per cent increase in the volume of crimes reported to police from 195, 931 cases reported in the year 2020 to 196,081 cases reported in the year 2021. These crime trends were greatly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and the subsequent opening of all sectors of the economy. Ochola said”

Major Tom Magambo, the Director of the Criminal Investigations Directorate said that the year 2021 was particularly challenging in terms of maintaining law and order throughout the country by the police force. He, however, explains that the force is planning a centralized database to aid investigations.

Meanwhile, the report shows a slight decline in cases of domestic violence with 17,533 cases reported to the Police during the year, compared to 17,664 reported in 2020. The victims included 3,103 adult males, 12,877 females, 871 male juveniles and 702 female juveniles. Similarly, the police recorded a 4 per cent decline in cases of threatening violence with 10,408 cases by the end of 2021, compared to 10,844 cases in 2020.