Nip in bud new criminal gangs

The resurgence of organised criminal gangs, who the police say are armed with machetes, and going about their crime on motorcycles and attacking, beating up and robbing wananchi in broad daylight is frightening (Daily Monitor, July 27).
The gangs, who the police said started out in twos, then fours and 10 and now 16, and still growing, are likely to continue for a while. But these criminals must not be allowed a free hand to roam and attack innocent wananchi and rob them of cash and other valuables on the roads, and break into homes.
The quick move by the police to dismantle the rings and apprehend the criminal masterminds in Katwe, on Mawanda and Mbogo roads on the outskirts of the city, in Kisegula, Zzana, and Bubnamwaya on the Kampala-Entebbe highway,  is commendable. But the police crime intelligence and crime crack units must do more.
The police at the surveillance camera command centres should make intensive use of the citywide CCTVs on the highways and link roads to spot out such cyclists riding about without registration number plates and in broad daylight.
This new wave of crime reminds us of the sad spate of organised and gruesome night attacks and hacking of residents in Lwengo, Masaka, and Bukomansimbi, and later stretching to Kampala and Wakiso districts between 2017 and 2018.
Some of these reported attacks, including on the busy Kampala-Jinja road in the heart of Kampala City, are more than daring and must be stopped now, lest they grow bolder and untamable.
These thugs also target the persons and homes of foreign nationals, especially of Asian origin, who are traders or investors.
However, besides the police fighting these criminals, the public, especially businesspersons, cashiers, and accountants moving both sizeable and huge sums of money taking personal or corporate responsibilities should engage cash-in transit protection services. Moreover, these vulnerable investors and communities, including isolated religious groups such as priests, living in criminal hotspots in the city and its suburbs, should invest in personal, residential and freight security.
These measures would go a long way in cutting down the rampant cases of criminals trailing and robbing them.