Police in Arua City are holding 22 suspected criminals following an intelligence-led operation targeting crime hotspots in the Central Business Division. The operation, which was conducted on Tuesday by officers from Arua City Central Business Division with the support of area vigilantes, covered Gurua, Osu, Hospital, Abia, Academy and Niva cells in Central Division, areas that police describe as criminal black spots.
According to Josephine Angucia, the West Nile Regional Police Spokesperson, the operation followed numerous complaints from residents over rising cases of robbery and theft in the affected areas. She said police recovered suspected marijuana and housebreaking implements from the suspects during the operation.
During the operation, police officers also uprooted several marijuana plants that had been illegally cultivated in the targeted black spot areas where the suspects were arrested. Rasheed Oshino, the Councillor for Bazaar Ward in Arua Central Division, welcomed the police intervention but said similar operations should be sustained across the city to curb crime and create a safer environment for business and other economic activities.
He also appealed to residents, especially young people, to stay away from crime and instead engage in lawful income-generating activities to improve their livelihoods.
“My appeal to the youths is to avoid engaging in criminalities for survival but rather engage in productive and legally viable income-generating activities,” Oshino said. According to the Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report 2025, theft remained the most common crime in the country, accounting for 26,510 reported cases, the highest number recorded among all offence categories-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
