Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) has introduced an official WhatsApp number for the public to report crimes and suspicious activities instantly.
This was announced by ACP Rusoke Kituuma, the Uganda police spokesperson during a weekly security briefing on Tuesday December 10, 2024, at Police headquarters in Naguru.
According to Rusoke, the initiative “aims to enhance communication between the police and the community,” especially in light of rising crime rates in the city.
“We have a WhatsApp line where you can share messages with the Uganda Police. It’s 077999999 also a toll-free line for traffic incidents all over the country 0800199099,” Rusoke said.
He emphasized the significance of utilizing technology to enhance public access to police services and underlined the availability of toll-free lines to handle certain crises.
Police also released a comprehensive list of emergency contacts in addition to the WhatsApp service, including toll-free numbers and specific lines for various types of incident, such as kidnappings and gender-based violence.
“The National Emergency Call Centre can be reached at 999/112, while other dedicated lines include 0800199991 and 0800199195 for specific emergency. For traffic incidents across the country, you can reach us at 0800199099, and for all fire-related emergencies, we have a dedicated line at 0800121222,” Rusoke added.
In order to reduce crime and improve safety Rusoke asked the public to use these platforms sensibly by disseminating timely and accurate information since they are expected to cover communication gaps and promote greater trust and collaboration between the force and the public.
Police say that the new channels aim to ensure quicker response times and encourage citizens to actively participate in maintaining law and order.
