Police ask schools to hire armed security guards as second term opens

School owners have been asked to hire well trained and skilled security guards to protect their facilities and students as they prepare to open for the second term next month.

The recommendation was made by the Joint Security Forces.

Authorities stated that this recommendation was made as part of the ongoing investigations into the recent spate of school attacks in some parts of the country.

Addressing the press in Kampala, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said that police is probing attacks on 12 schools which happened last term and several suspects have been apprehended and arraigned in courts of law.

He revealed that investigations show that most of the schools that were attacked had some elements of laxity, “for instance security guards at these schools had raw weapons such as bows and arrows yet attackers had superior weapons like guns.”

He also claimed that some security guards were too old for the job, with the majority of them aged 40 to 60, and that the majority of them were also found drunk.

“We are now using this opportunity to remind school proprietors at at least to hire well skilled and equipped security officers, CCTV cameras, strong burglars and also adopt to cashless transactions at schools,” Enanga said.

According to him there was a school where thugs stole over 100 million shillings saying that such bulk cash gives incentive to criminals to attack.

The latest group of suspects in the criminal ring targeting schools was tracked down by the flying squad last week from their hideout in Mukuba cell in Bugiri district, and upon interrogation, the police spox said they admitted to participating in twelve school attacks and several petrol station attacks.

The suspects have been using two vehicles in their attacks which have been impounded and parked at the FSU headquarters in Kampala.