Kampala — The US Ambassador, Steven Browning, yesterday expressed concern at the pace at which human trafficking was spreading.

He said it was now the third most lucrative crime after the drugs and illegal weapons trade, and warned that Uganda has not been spared by the vice.

He said the vice needed to be addressed urgently: "Uganda, like the US and other countries is not immune to trafficking," Browning said.

Speaking at the hand-over of equipment worth $15,000 (about sh33m) to the Police, Browning, citing UN figures, said close to two million individuals are trafficked worldwide each year.

He said the vice could only be tackled through concerted effort and lauded Uganda for the measures already in place.

"As you know, human trafficking is a global human rights issue and an international crime that can only be truly eradicated through cooperative efforts."

Police boss Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura noted that the donation was timely, given that tackling human trafficking and ritual murder still presented a challenge to the Police force.

"Though we have brought it down, the vice was and still is a problem for the Police," Kayihura said, adding that the donation would boost Police investigations.

"With this there should be no excuse for not expediently investigating cases," he said, adding that the Police force is in the process of improving its fleet with the view of having mobile squads at regional levels particularly tasked to curb trafficking in humans.

The donation comes against the backdrop of the a pattern of human sacrifices.

Last year, a total of 25 cases of ritual murder, in which children were the main victims, were reported, according to the annual crime report. Of these, 19 were male and six female. Twenty of these cases were successfully investigated with suspects charged in court.

Like many other countries, Browning said, Uganda had become a source, transit route and a destination for persons trafficked for labour and commercial sex.

"Trafficking victims include adults and children forced or duped into situations of exploitation, be they child prostitutes, victims of sacrifice or adults trafficked into Uganda for forced labour," Browning said.

The equipment donated included binoculars, still and video camera's, scanners, computers, printers, video documentaries on human trafficking in Uganda and dolls to be used while questioning children who have been victims of the vice.

Browning lauded the Police for a job well done.

"I would like to commend the outstanding efforts of the Police Child and Family Protection Units," he said. However, Kayihura said the fight against the vice was being undermined by the country's legal system, which he said, handles suspects "with kid gloves."