By ANDREW BAGALA

KAMPALA. The Police Flying Squad recovered 40 guns and arrested at least 50 armed robbers across the country last year.
The Flying Squad Commander, Mr Herbert Muhangi, said most of the recovered guns were trafficked from South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“The guns are in two categories, pistols and AK-47s. Around 20 suspects were taken to court. The recoveries have helped us develop new ways of preventing trafficking of illegal firearms into the country. In the last three months, we have started getting good results,” Mr Muhangi told journalists at Kampala Metropolitan Police headquarters yesterday.
Although South Sudan and DRC have been facing armed conflicts for several decades, there had never been such high trafficking of guns from the two countries as it was last year.
In previous years, guns used by armed robbers or murderers in Uganda were mainly from private security organs and members of the government security agencies.

Mr Muhangi said since the government tightened security at the border areas to curb gun trafficking into the country, cases of armed robberies or violence have drastically reduced, especially in towns.
He said Flying Squad operatives at borders have also carried a crackdown on car thieves who use the same routes to sell the stolen vehicles in neighbouring countries. Since the deployment last year, the Flying Squad has recovered 52 stolen cars which were intercepted before crossing the border. He said the recovered vehicles were handed over to the owners.

Car thefts in the country are high with nearly five cars reported stolen daily. However, Mr Muhangi said some civilians with collaborators in security agencies and former operatives of disbanded security units such as the Rapid Response Unit, Violent Crime Crack Unit and Operation Wembley, are conning people of their money masquerading as Flying Squad operatives who track stolen cars.
“There is an operation to arrest those who are demanding money from victims of car thefts that they can recover stolen cars. We arrested three suspects in three different cases of impersonating Flying Squad operatives. One had picked Shs300,000 from a car theft victim after promising to recover his car,” Mr Muhangi said. He said victims of such impersonators should contact police on a toll free number 0713512056 to get help.

abagala@ug.nationmedia.com