KAMPALA — The Uganda Police Force has launched 10 specialised vehicles for its Canine Unit as part of efforts to strengthen the unit’s operational capacity and improve its response to crime scenes.
The vehicles were launched on Saturday by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, James Ocaya.
According to Police, the fleet will initially be distributed to 10 cities as part of the first phase of equipping the Canine Unit.
The vehicles have been specially customised to transport canine teams to scenes of crime and will accommodate a full operational team comprising a canine handler, scene-of-crime personnel and the police dog.
Ocaya commended the Canine Unit for its performance, saying it had tracked more than 12,000 cases in one financial year.
Of these cases, about 6,000 were taken to court, while more than 10,000 exhibits were recovered through the unit’s operations.
The Deputy Inspector General said the new vehicles would enable canine teams to operate more efficiently and improve their deployment to crime scenes.
He said the public should expect increased vigilance and faster responses as the upgraded transport capacity becomes operational.
The new vehicles form part of ongoing efforts by the Police Force to enhance specialised policing services, particularly the use of trained dogs in crime detection, tracking suspects and recovering exhibits.
