President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has strongly advocated for the continuation of the digital motor number plates project in Uganda, emphasizing its crucial role in combating crime.
Speaking at the graduation of 2,234 Uganda Prisons Service Officers, including 200 Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Prisons, 318 Cadet Principal Officers, and 1,716 Recruit Warders and Wardresses on Sunday, President Museveni stressed that electronic number plates would significantly impact crime prevention by making it harder for criminals to move to and from crime scenes unnoticed.
“Now, I’m insisting on the issue of electronic number plates; It will be a very big blow to crime because most of the people move to and from the scene of crime by either a vehicle or a boda boda,” he said
He urged that any ongoing debates surrounding the project be resolved, as the implementation of digital number plates would help close the crime gap effectively.
President Museveni also noted the positive contributions of CCTV cameras and fingerprinting of firearms in crime prevention and directed that all army guns should be fingerprinted.
“The fingerprinting of guns of security forces is helping but I hear they somehow didn’t include the army. I have directed all army guns be fingerprinted,” Museveni said.
He added: “The database can be kept separately , maybe under military police but every gun must be fingerprinted,
President Museveni also cautioned against corruption, emphasizing that it tarnishes the reputation and wastes public resources.
“In doing all this whether you are police, prison or the army, fight corruption because it is a disgrace and a big waste of public resources,” Museveni cautioned.
The President assured support for the Uganda Prisons Service with equipment and other needs while discouraging the importation of fabric for uniforms.
“I don’t care who makes the uniforms or what, but I don’t want you to become tailors importing fabrics from elsewhere and stitching clothes, claiming you are manufacturers. You should source all necessary raw materials locally, except for silk, which we do not yet produce locally,” he stated.
Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, the Commissioner General of the Uganda Prisons Service, expressed gratitude to President Museveni for bolstering the service’s numbers and improving its performance. However, he highlighted the need for machinery equipment, particularly tractors, for agricultural purposes.
Dr. Byabashaija urged the graduates to adhere to the core values of the Prison Service Commission for a meaningful career.
The pass-out ceremony was attended by Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, Auditor General John Muwanga, and senior army and police officials, among others.