Uganda Police Senior detectives are attending a one-week retreat to lay strategies on how to tackle emerging crimes in the country.
“Uganda, is having a fair share of growing transnational crimes such as on line scams, cybercrimes, drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings, and acts of terrorism for which we need a better understanding of their global and borderless nature so that we can adopt more proactive, innovative and global approaches,” Director CIID, Grace Akullo made the remarks while opening a one-week, retreat for senior CIID Officers at Police Training School, Kabalye, Masindi.
The Officers were drawn from Heads of Department from CIID headquarters, Regional CIID Officers, District CIID Officers and other Senior CIID Officers attached to Parliament, State House, IGG and URA.
Akullo added, `We are being faced with emerging crime challenges with perpetrators using innovative modes of operation with potential to target victims internationally, using highly sophisticated technologies and other communications means, like internet fraud, cyber crime. We have to lay strategies.”
She said, that Uganda Police Force needs to stay ahead of modern day criminals.
“We also have a challenge of criminal violence which are developing and destabilizing the society while posing a major challenge to Police and other law enforcement agencies,” She said.
AIGP Akullo said that the retreat is to find all the answers to the crime challenges CIID Officers are facing.
Facilitators of the retreat were drawn from the Criminal Justice System namely: Police, DPP, Judiciary, Prisons, Government Analytical Laboratory, Forensic services, Human Rights, Inspectorate of Government, and State House Medicines Health Monitoring Unit.
The Officers will also discus and evaluate themselves, share their success stories, challenges and way forward.
She added that despite the challenges the Officers are facing, the Directorate have achieved a lot in terms of their mandate.
“We are currently forwarding a number of cases to the DPP where the office is having a lot of work load. Uganda Prisons Services as well has a strained budget because of increased number of remandees and convicts,” she emphasized.
Akullo counseled the Officers that if investigations, are not handled, rightly from the onset, then the DPP and the Judiciary will not have any good case.
“So CIID is to strive to professionally handle the cases,” She advised.
Akullo argued that although curbing crime is the prime duty of police, to succeed in handling a criminal case, it is important to coordinate with the community and other stakeholders.
