The Uganda Police Force has launched the 2023 annual crime report, where the number of sex-related offences against children has been reported to still be on the rise.
During the launch at the Police Headquarters, Naguru Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director AIGP Tom Magambo expressed his pain about young people being taken advantage of on February 21, 2024.
“On sex-related offences, interestingly, we see a slight increment in what we reported last year, and we have 14,846. This continues to keep us awake. My Lord, the DPP will tell you it’s always painful when you find young people, especially our children, being defiled, misused, or taken advantage of,” AIGP Magambo noted.
According to the annual report, 14,826 cases of sexual offences were reported, which shows a 0.9% increase from the 14,693 cases reported in 2022.
However, a 1.5% decrease in the crime rate in 2023 has been reported, as stated by the Inspector General of Police, Okoth Martin Ochola.
“In 2023, we note that there was a 1.5% decrease in the number of crimes reported to police from 231,653 cases reported in 2022 to 228,074 cases. I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to those who were able to lodge their complaints at various stations of the Uganda Police Force in the year 2023. It is these reported complaints that enable us to compile annual crime reports,” IGP Okoth Ochola reported.
According to the IGP, the decrease has been due to the hard work of the police in coordination with sister security agencies, the reorganization of the CID (Criminal Investigations Directorate), improved detection and investigation methods, and the establishment of a proactive network of credible intelligence.
Police also note an increase in the number of cases that secured convictions.
“Of the cases taken to court, 27,125 secured convictions, 843 cases were acquitted, 10,096 cases were dismissed, and 46,843 cases are still pending in court,” the report read.
Justice Jane Frances Adobo, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), attributed the rise in the number of convictions to intelligence and prosecution-led investigations.
