Police reveal 22 deaths were recorded on Independence Day

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga told the media on Wednesday, October 12, 2023, that 31 criminal cases were reported that day. These comprised three incidents of murder, five cases of mob action murder, two cases of assault murder, two cases of suspected suicide by hanging, one case of poisoning murder, three cases of strangulation murder, and three cases of cutting murder.

“As a result of the cases that were reported, 22 people lost their lives, and nine suspects were arrested and detained in police stations as investigations continued,” he said.

Unidentified robbers stormed into the house of Moses Matovu, a taxi driver, in Busika Central, Luweero District, according to Enanga, who managed to fight them off. Matovu reportedly held one of the robbers and called the cops, but the burglar slashed him with a knife and fled.

However, neighbours apprehended the robber and beat him to death before setting fire to his body. According to Mr. Enanga, investigators went to the crime scene, and the body was transferred to Luweero Hospital for a postmortem.

He also stated that the area LC1 chairperson gave a statement to the police and that the investigation is still ongoing.

According to the 2022 Police Crime Report, the number of crimes committed in the country increased dramatically in 2022 compared to the previous year.

The report indicated that the number of offences grew by more than 18% in one year compared to the previous one.

"A total of 231,653 cases were reported in 2022, up from 1960–81 in 2021. Thefts increased by 41% to 61508 from 43583 in 2021, while assaults increased by 9% from 29317 to 32041," the report revealed.