In the wake of the recent attacks on police stations and various security personnel by unknown assailants, government has said 99% of the guns in the country are currently fingerprinted.
"We have been able to put in place an integrated ballistic information system and one of the areas we have managed to achieve is ensuring that at least 99% of the firearms in the country are fingerprinted. Therefore, if a firearm is used to commit crime in the country, we are able to track that firearm," said Sam Wairagala, the deputy senior technical advisor for the governance and security program.
He was speaking during the launch of the annual performance report for the governance and security program at Speake Resort Hotel in Munyonyo.
The governance and security program brings together government agencies responsible for upholding the rule of law, ensuring security, maintaining law and order, public policy governance, administration of justice, promoting human rights , accountability and transparency.
Giving highlights of the report, Wairagala said that coupled with the criminal automated biometric identification system the integrated ballistics information system has helped in the compilation of an electric register for all firearms in the country.
He however noted that one percent of the firearms in the country are yet to be fingerprinted but was quick to attribute it to "some" challenges that are yet to be addressed.
"One of the major challenges as everyone sees is small arms and light weapons proliferation into the country through porous borders. Many of these guns are coming in through the porous borders for example from DRC and South Sudan, especially areas where wars are taking place."
The deputy senior technical advisor for the governance and security program said in a bid to address the issue of small arm and light weapons in the country, government has continued to carry out disarmament in various parts of the country, including Karamoja.
Gun fingerprinting
In 2018, President Museveni ordered the fingerprinting of all firearms in the country as one of the measures to curb criminality following a spate of shooting where criminals gunned down high profile citizens and fled without any trace.
The president said fingerprinting would help security agencies, especially police during investigations since they would be in position to know the type of gun used and the person who holds the specific firearm used.
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"That will mean that if any legal gun in Uganda is used, we shall know which gun was used and since we know who is carrying which gun, we shall easily know the crime perpetrator," Museveni told parliament in 2018.
The fingerprinting process involves firing various guns in a controlled area and each gun's unique print is captured, recorded and stored.
According to experts investigators using ballistic fingerprinting analyse a fired bullet or casing for scratches under the microscope and the markings, just like for fingerprints are unique to each weapon.
In case of any incident of shooting, the bullet shell is picked by investigators from the crime scene and analysed by ballistic experts to find out the details of the gun used and its current owner.
In the past, security has used the finger-printed firearm database to link guns used in the attempted assassination of Works Minister Gen Katumba Wamala to a series of other killings by shooting and robberies in various parts of the country.
The police directorate of forensics has also put in a place a data of all criminals whose fingerprints are taken, the moment they are arrested.
This way, if a person participates in the commission of another crime, their fingerprints can easily be lifted off the crime scene and this evidence is used in courts of law to ensure conviction.
The developments come at a time when security is continuing with a hunt for unknown assailants who have been targeting security personnel by shooting them and grabbing guns.
On Sunday night, the Flying Squad Unit and the Crime Intelligence gunned down two people in Matugga, Wakiso district who have since been linked to the attacks on security personnel.
