The Uganda Police Force has reported a significant decline in crime across the country, even as Members of Parliament raised concerns over alleged charges imposed on citizens seeking police canine services.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on Tuesday March 10 2026, the Deputy Inspector General of Police James Ochaya said preliminary crime statistics for 2025 show a notable reduction in reported cases.
Ochaya told the committee chaired by Gorreth Namugga that although the annual police crime report has not yet been officially released, early figures indicate that reported crime cases dropped from 218,725 in 2024 to 196,155 in 2025. This represents a reduction of 22,560 cases, equivalent to a 10.3 percent decline.
“The criminal case rate stood at 427 persons per 100,000 people in 2025, down from 476 in 2024,” Ochaya said, noting that the figures are based on a national population estimated at about 45 million people.
He attributed the decline to reforms within the force, including strengthened sub-county policing structures, enhanced collaboration with other security agencies, and increased community engagement initiatives.
“We have strengthened sub-county policing, enhanced collaboration with other security agencies and increased community engagement,” he told MPs.
Ochaya further revealed that police operations in the first two months of 2026 had already yielded thousands of arrests. He said that in January and February 2026 alone, police arrested 7,159 suspects, of whom 3,724 were arraigned before courts of law.
The Kampala Metropolitan Area accounted for a substantial portion of those arrests, with 3,512 suspects apprehended during the same period. Of these, 1,935 were presented before court.
However, the committee session turned tense when legislators questioned police leadership over reports that communities are being asked to pay Shs200,000 for canine services during criminal investigations.
Namugga said the committee had received information suggesting that police sniffer dogs are routinely paid for by members of the public, despite police leadership indicating that the service should be free.
“We are giving information that the dogs are paid for very expensively, but we are surprised the IGP does not know that the dogs are paid for,” she said.
In response, Ochaya acknowledged the concerns and promised that the matter would be investigated.
“We shall investigate and find out where the problem is and rectify,” he said.
Several lawmakers shared personal experiences and complaints from their constituents regarding alleged payments demanded when requesting canine services.
Silas Aogon said the practice appeared to be widespread across different parts of the country.
Similarly, Susan Amero recounted her own experience seeking canine services in Kakiri.
“I had a farm in Kakiri and I went for a dog at Kakiri police station. I paid money for the dog to reach my farm to investigate theft, and nothing was even detected,” Amero said.
She added that if such charges are legitimate, they should be formalised and receipted so that the funds can be properly accounted for as government revenue.
Joseph Ssewungu also questioned whether police have sufficient logistical capacity to deploy canine units to crime scenes, particularly in rural areas. He cited an example from Kalungu where a dog unit was only deployed after local leaders constructed a facility to house it.
Police officials acknowledged that transportation challenges have at times hindered the effective deployment of canine units but said the force is in the process of procuring specialised equipment to improve operations, especially outside major urban centres.
The committee is expected to follow up on the matter as part of its oversight role, particularly regarding accountability and service delivery within the police force.