With schools opening for Term Two today, Police have cautioned parents and school authorities to be keen on how the children are dropped off and picked from schools at the time when kidnaps have become a serious security threat in Uganda.
In the last four weeks, up to 42 cases of kidnap have been reported to Police, 8 of which have resulted into deaths of the victims while 7 are still missing. Some of the victims is these kidnaps have been children who have disappeared under unclear circumstances only for their parents to be called later by captors demanding ransom.
Some 20 cases have been those of teens who have been reported as having been kidnapped only for Police to discover that the person had connived with their lover (‘kidnapper’) to con parents of millions of money.
It is for this reason that Police Spokesperson, SSP Emilian Kayima has now called for extra vigilance on the part of parents and school authorities to safeguard school going children and keep them out of danger.
“As schools open, we must all be cognizant that protection of children and schools at this time is very paramount,” SSP Kayima said during the weekly Police press briefing held at Central Police Station in Kampala on Monday.
“Given the recent spate of kidnap reports where self kidnaps took centre stage, parents are strongly advised to deliver children to schools by themselves,” he said.
He also appealed to schools to put in place clear systems of receiving, retaining and handling children to avoid cases of wrong elements picking their victims under the guise of them being parents.
He emphasized the issue of access control systems at schools to establish which person is responsible for picking which child, as well as individual class teachers taking the responsibility of ensuring children’s safety.
“When you take your child to school, tell the authorities there which person will be responsible to pick them. In some schools, there is a list where the parents and guardians sign and provide telephone contacts when they come to pick kids”.
“We advise schools to make use of our offices at all levels and to invite us to interact with students in order to create awareness among teachers and learners,” the Police mouthpiece said.
Kayima again reiterated the warning towards teenagers that might harbour intentions of self kidnaps saying “we shall prosecute you just like we have prosecuted those that have been involved in these crimes”.
Relatedly, Police has appealed to motorists to drive carefully, to avoid reckless driving, overspeeding and using vehicles that are not roadworthy as schools open for Term Two.
“We must all be vigilant to avoid motor accidents. Traffic operations will focus on these and will leave no stone unturned in the enforcement of traffic and road safety,” he said.