Gun registration exercise shifts to CID headquarters

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The ongoing registration of guns has shifted from the regions to the Criminal Investigations Directorate –headquarters at Kibuli in Kampala.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said that all private security companies and individuals who have not registered their guns with the steering committee, are expected to do so before the end of this month. Enanga explains that the committee headed by Assistant Inspector General of Police Edward Ochom, had shifted registration exercise of CID after traversing different regions.

At least 57,171 firearms belonging to Police, Prisons, Private Security Organizations, Individual civilians and Local Defence Unit-LDU personnel have been test-fired and fingerprinted since the exercise kicked off in April last year.

Nevertheless, police say that several individuals and private security companies haven’t registered their guns with the committee and cautions that there will be blacklisted and classified as illegal gun owners.

Police’s private security and firearms department estimates 16,000 guns are in the hands of private security organizations while more than 3,000 are in the hands of civilians who, among others, include business persons and politicians.

Enanga said failure by some private security organizations to handover their guns for electronic registrations and test firing could imply they are faulty. By November 2019, police had attached more than 400 PSOs guns for being faulty.

Grace Matsiko, the Chairperson of Uganda Private Security Association (TUPSA), says that although they are in support of the gun registration exercise, it would be unfair to blame private security organizations which have not been approached by the registering team.

Police records show there are over 203 private security organizations of which only 98 use batons while the rest deploy their guards with rifles. There have also been complaints that some security companies deploy guards with faulty guns and as such, cannot defend themselves when attacked.

*****

URN