New crime wave of forging car number plates hits Kampala

Police have warned the public about the new crime wave where thugs conceal number plates of vehicles and use them to commit crime.

This follows last week’s viral video in which police impounded a car where its original number plate was covered with a forged one made of paper.

The forged number plate was glued onto the original one.
Speaking to Monitor yesterday, the deputy spokesperson of Kampala Metropolitan Police, Mr Luke Owoyesigyire, said such cases are on the rise.

“We have registered a number of incidents where number plates are obscured or suspects put false number plates to disguise while they are engaging in criminal activities,” he said.

However, he said, police have developed technology that helps to reveal the forged number plates.

”The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras read and digitalise vehicles’ number plates in real time,” Mr Owoyesigyire said.

He said many vehicles have been impounded over the crime.
“They use these cars while stealing phones, stealing from supermarkets and also grabbing items from other vehicles while in parking,” he said.

Mr Owoyesigyire said the incident in the viral video happened in Kyanja, a Kampala suburb, and three suspects were arrested and arraigned in courts of law.

“We managed to save them from mob action while they were fleeing from the area after committing robbery,” he said.

In another development, police have issued tips to parents, guardians and the general public to help reduce the chances of children falling victim to disappearances and kidnap.

This comes after four primary school children were last week mistakenly transported in another van that didn’t belong to their school in the morning.

According to police, a mother escorted her children to the pickup point and without trying to find out whether the van belonged to the school or not, or to establish the identity of the driver and car attendant, just handed over her children.

“We tried and recovered them but it is a lesson to parents out there to be careful and learn from that,” Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said.

“We call upon parents and guardians to pay more attention, especially to new individuals that they have never seen before hanging around places where their children play,” Mr Enanga said yesterday during a press briefing in Kampala.

He also urged the members of the public to involve them in matters where they notice a young child crying or struggling to free themselves from adults.

“If you suspect that something is not right, get involved by simply paying attention to the situation. It may help stop child abduction or kidnap,” Mr Enanga said.

According to the police, children should be warned not to go anywhere with a stranger or someone who is friendly to them without permission from their parents.

Mr Enanga said parents and guardians should practice scenarios with their children on how to deal with any stranger that approaches them.