Gun fingerprinting starts in Kampala

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A joint security team has started registration of all guns in the country and has so far registered all arms in the hands of the Police Force, Prisons, private security and those privately licensed within Kampala metropolitan area.

Following a spate of killings last year, President Yoweri Mueveni asked security forces to start fingerprinting all guns in circulation as one way to fight criminality in the country.

“A joint security team is in the process of registering all guns in the country. The team is comprised of UPDF, UPF, UPS, UWA, ESO, ISO working closely with relevant authorities,” confirmed ACP Namaye Polly, the police deputy spokesperson.

She said the team is concerned with capturing the data of each individual gun and marching this data with the holder. The team then forwards this data to the forensic experts for purpose of interpretation and storage using the Integrated Ballistics Identification Systems (IBIS).

“It is important to note that individual guns have individual characteristics which differentiate them from others. This will make the work of tracking guns easier after their use,” Namaye said.

She warned that “while Finger Printing, the team will fire bullets from each gun so as to get the unique characteristics. The public is encouraged not to be alarmed when they hear the sound of guns in the specific areas as we shall be informing you.”

Tomorrow 16^th April 2019, the team will embark on registering guns in Katonga region. The team is working to ensure that by the end of July, all guns under the Police Force, the Prisons services, private ownership as well those held by private security organisations will have been registered.