Kampala — THE UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) will build 20 out-posts for Special Police Constables (SPCs) in Kitgum, the resident district commissioner has said.

Appearing on a radio talk show on Mega FM on Thursday, Alfred Omony-Ogaba said the UNHCR was only waiting for the response of the district leadership to give them the land to build on.

He phoned into the weekly development talk-show, sponsored by the offices of the RDCs in Acholi sub-region every Thursday.

Omony-Ogaba appealed to land owners in all sub-counties in the district to offer their land for the project, so that they can benefit from it.

He cautioned them, however, not to offer land with disputed ownership.

"I ask land owners to take the offer by the UNHCR seriously. This is because the services of the SPCs are urgently needed to enforce law and order in the villages, as the people return to their villages," said Omony-Ogaba.

He said the move would help to curb the high rate of criminal acts among the local population. He added that there was an increasing rate of theft, drug abuse, domestic violence, land wrangles and common assaults in the villages.

Omony-Ogaba, who is also the chairperson of the district security committee, cautioned residents who still hold illegal firearms to return them to the district authority. Those who will not comply will be arrested, he warned.

On resettlement of the internally displaced people (IDPs), he said at least 120 iron-sheets given by President Yoweri Museveni had been distributed to beneficiaries in Kitgum.

He encouraged returnee IDPs to build their walls to ring-beam level and have them inspected by the district authorities, so that they can be given the 30 pieces of iron sheets.