Coffee, K9 and the Youth

The recently released Police Annual Crime report gave some interesting insights from the year 2024. We would like to highlight them all, but focus for now is the K9 section which over the months, conducted close to 20,000 cases, leading to the arrest of close to 16,000 suspects with 6,920 exhibits recovered. If it were a class room performance, my primary school teacher would say to the Police dog section-“very good, aim higher.” 

But first, a little story: Any association with what is seen as a big office makes one an automatic shock-absorber, a call centre of sorts. And frankly, I like connecting with communities. See, sometimes you listen attentively and take notes, even if all you offer is hope. Sometimes, if you call authorities and follow up, you’ll likely offer solutions of necessary interventions to society.

One of those I offered hope was a farmer whose two bunches of matooke and coffee had been stolen from his farm deep down in Kabende, Kabarole.

We informed the Police and a dog was dispatched, leading the team to a little one roomed house with one door. Indeed, the matoke was there, covered with clothes, on one side, an old mattress on the other side and a pair of gumboots. The coffee-fresh green cherries had already been sold off. That evening, suspect Koruragire (not real name) was released because according to the officers at the Police post, “dog evidence wasn’t enough.” We speak about Koruragire later, because our focus is coffee and the K9. Here is why. 

In his end of year address, President Museveni asked why Marijuana smoking youth were idling in the villages and then stealing people’s coffee at night. “There is rampant stealing of coffee, cattle goats etc. and soft handling of such criminals….”

K9 may not arrest thieves or hackers into the Bank money heists, but we have registered over 1000 cases where the dog unit has been extremely helpful in people’s shambas. Here are a few. 

• On October 31, 2024, two coffee thugs were arrested from Kalagi in Mosode, with the help of the Police dogs. Green cherries were recovered. 
• On January 24/05, coffee exhibits were recovered from a young man who had stolen from a neighbor in Rugombe, Fortportal. 
• On January 29, 2025, fresh coffee was stolen from the farm of one Kasaayi in Nakilagala-Namungo, Mityana. Two youths were arrested. 
• On January 31, 2025, youthful Hadija was arrested with coffee picked from someone’s garden in Nakyesa Village in Kayunga. 
• On Feb 09/2025, in Kassanda, stolen green cherries were found mixed with red cherries, sadly, ready for market dispatch. The culprit-Ssenkima, was also in his youthful age bracket. On the same day, in a different location, k9 led to the arrest of other suspects with what was obviously coffee not ready for harvest. 
• On February 10, 2025, Bira-also in her youthful years was arrested with coffee she had stolen from someone in Hima-Kasese. 
• On Feb 12, 2025, dry coffee stolen from someone’s compound by Kule who had already sold it. The storekeeper/buyer however returned it, after he heard that it was stolen. We applaud that act. 
  
• Again, that day, fresh coffee was stolen by a young couple in Kikandwa from Kisaaku’s garden, and recovered with the help of the Police dog section. 
  

I could give more examples and other cases where the K9 has made great strides in helping apprehend suspects and culprits, further easing the work of the CID. Stealing of animals like goats, sheep, pigs and cows has also been on the rise, made worse that young-abled people form the majority of suspects/culprits. 

So what was Koruragire’s story? Koruragire is about 26 years old, and is popular for criminality. Twice, he has survived lynching. With almost all the cases I raised and hundreds more we have not written about, the average age of the suspects and those arrested is 23. That should concern us all. 

Worse more, by stealing premature green cherries from the gardens and middle men/buyers taking them to the market with unacceptable standards, these young people are stealing from their future, whose coffee exports in 2023/2024 were 6.13 million bags, valued at $1.144 billion. Do the youth know what this means and why we must increase production? Do they know how one single act of ignorance can break the value chain and lower demand? 

All said, we congratulate Police dog section for the critical intervention. However, it is obvious that there is need to build more kennels upcountry, train more handlers, and avail more vehicles to transport these dogs to scenes of crime and protect our gold.