Police have arrested nine people and recovered two guns and 68 rounds of ammunition in a crackdown after gangsters killed 14 people at the weekend.

But the Director of Criminal Investigations, Mr Robert Manumba, said police were yet to confirm if the guns, which were found abandoned in a bush, were the ones used in the killings.

He said law enforcers recover a sub mashine gun with 68 bullets and a shotgun with five bullets abandoned in the bush. Addressing a rally, Mr Manumba appealed to residents of Izinga island to furnish the police with information that would enable them capture the perpetrators.

Mr Manumba arrived here on Monday in the company of Special Operations Commander Venance Tossi.

"I would like to thank you for the cooperation you have been showing. And I also want to appeal to you to continue giving us information so that we can arrest the perpetrators of the crime.

What happened here is barbaric, it can not be tolerated," he told the rally which was also attended by Ukerewe MP Gertrude Mongella. He said they were collecting more information that would enable them charge those who were arrested in connection with the incident.

"There are many bandits in Lake Victoria area. They include foreigners. We know that they are living among Tanzanians posing as fishermen and businessmen. We are also working on this issue," he said.

However, after Mr Manumba had ended his speech the villagers wanted to hear Mr Tossi's position on the crime. His pleas that protocol did not allow him to speak after his boss had spoken fell on deaf ears and the villagers continued to press him to speak.

Later, Ms Mongella asked him to disregard the protocol and tell the villagers a word or two.