In a concerted effort to tackle rising crime rates, Jinja City Police conducted a weekend operation resulting in the arrest and detention of eighty-seven individuals. The operation, spanning various neighborhoods including Mpumudde, Mafubira, Bugembe, Walukuba, Masese, Madhivan market, Nile avenue, and Kirinya, targeted individuals involved in a range of criminal activities.
According to SP James Mubi, the Kiira region police spokesperson, the apprehended individuals, comprising seventy male adults and ten females, face a variety of charges. Among them, twelve males are charged with aggravated robbery, while thirteen males and six female adults face charges of malicious damage and obstruction. Additionally, thirty-five male adults and four females are charged with public nuisance, while seventeen male juveniles, alleged to be street children, were arrested from the city center.
The weekend operations, characterized by intensified intelligence-led efforts, aimed to address escalating criminal activities in the area. Mubi emphasized that the crackdown targeted radicalized street children engaged in crimes such as phone snatching, housebreaking, stealing motor vehicle number plates, and causing havoc during late-night hours.
In collaboration with the city’s probation office, police are working to establish a rehabilitation center for the minors involved in criminal acts. This initiative seeks to provide support and rehabilitation for vulnerable youth, steering them away from a life of crime.
During the operation, police confiscated various exhibits, including pangas, marijuana, stones, iron bars, housebreaking implements, and suspected stolen properties. The crackdown comes in the wake of the tragic death of former Mwiri Primary School Headteacher, Alex Isabirye, allegedly killed by panga-wielding assailants.
