The Kampala Metropolitan Police Area commander Frank Mwesigwa has paraded a number of tools suspected to have been used to terrorise the city and its suburbs.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Kampala, Mwesigwa explained that they had a watch list of over 100 hard core criminals and leads they followed during their covert operations leading to the recovery of tools used and arrest of suspects.
“We were able to arrest 113 criminals in the past 2 weeks of our 45 day operation, “he said before showing the tools recovered.
The Police claims to have recovered a number of dangerous weapons used in criminal attacks in Kampala
Among the tools the police showed journalists that they allege to have been recovered from criminals included an AK47 rifle, a revolver pistol, pangas, pick axes, axes, hammers and iron bars among others.
A wave of attacks has in the past months rocked the country where thugs drop threatening leaflets before attacking, beating and hacking people before stealing and vandalising their property.
According to Mwesigwa, the criminals were arrested from areas of Bwaise, Kawempe, Najeera, Kiwatule, Makindye, Kira and elsewhere in the Kampala Metropolitan area.
Some of the tools recovered by police
“We were able to take 92 of the (suspects) to courts of law where they were charged with various offences including aggravated robbery and remanded,” the KMP commander noted.
He said they found out that most of the criminals arrested during the covert operations were repeat offenders who had in past been arrested and released from prison.
“Our operations will continue to rid the city of criminal elements,” he said.
The Inspector General of Police, Gen.Kale Kayihura a few weeks ago launched a 45 day operation dubbed Keep Peace in Kampala meant to rid the city and its environs of criminals.