Police have recovered three guns and blamed the threshold of continued murders and highway robberies in the city on private security companies that recruit ex-convicts.

Regional Police Commander Kampala South Jacob Opolot. Photo by Wilfred Sanya

The suspects are former Army and Police officers who were discontinued from duty because of Indiscipline and ended up being employed by Private security organisations in the country.

The Regional Police Commander (RPC) Kampala South Jacob Opolot while addressing Journalists at Kajjansi Police Station accused private security companies of their poor system of recruiting guards leading to increased crime in the country.

“Most of these guards recruited are ex-convicts, with their bad behavior, continue to carry guns courtesy of private security organs and perform such acts,” Opolot said.

He alleged that the shootings of Hajji Abubaker Kiwewa who was attacked and shot twice was due to high number of security firms who recruit indispline and un qualified personnel who end up losing their guns to criminals.

“These guards hire guns to criminals and sometimes loose them when they are high on alcohol,” he explained.

He also alleged that guns from private security organs have been on many occasions been got at the crime scene countrywide.

Before displaying the three semi-automatic rifles, Opolot said that, on the 3rd of January this year a Police Constable identified as Isaac Oboth now deceased while on night duty in Nalumunye Police post was hacked to death by armed thugs before they made off with an AK47 with 30 rounds of ammunition.

He added that working on Police intelligence one of the guns was recovered from Kabarole and others from Ngobye village in wakiso district.

Opolot stressed that a number of robberies conducted in the city were used by the same gun and the suspects who have been arrested include private security guards.

However the suspect’s names were withheld pending Police Investigations since other suspects are still on the run.

By Simon Masaba, The New Vision