Police have ordered officers to arrest private security guards found walking alone or riding motorcycles or bicycles while carrying firearms.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said the directive is aimed at preventing firearms issued to private security organisations (PSOs) from being stolen and ending up in the hands of criminals.
Rusoke issued the directive while speaking to journalists at Police Headquarters in Naguru on Monday.
He said armed security guards should not move alone while carrying firearms. Instead, they should be transported safely between their places of deployment and their companies’ armouries.
Police have also directed District Police Commanders and other officers on the ground to arrest guards who violate the requirement.
Rusoke said security agencies have recovered 23 firearms that were supposed to be in the custody of private security organisations since the beginning of the year.
He warned that stolen firearms pose a serious security threat because they can be used to commit robberies, kidnappings and other violent crimes.
Rusoke cited the recovery of a firearm stolen from a security guard in Kimombasa Cell, Bujiri, as an example of the dangers of poor supervision by private security companies.
He said the guard had been deployed alone and the firearm was later stolen and allegedly used in kidnapping incidents in Buikwe.
According to Rusoke, suspects in the incidents allegedly collected ransom payments worth hundreds of millions of shillings.
He urged private security companies to strengthen supervision of armed guards and ensure that only trained and authorised personnel are deployed with firearms.
Police have also warned security guards against accepting food or drinks from strangers while on duty, following incidents in which guards were allegedly sedated before their guns were stolen.
Rusoke further directed security guards and their employers to immediately report any attack, theft or disappearance involving firearms.
He said delayed reporting makes it harder for police to recover stolen weapons, preserve evidence and arrest suspects.
Police said private security organisations must ensure that firearms issued to their personnel are properly handled, securely kept, accounted for and immediately reported missing.
