Police warn of rise in criminal cases during festive holidays

By Winnie Cirino

JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN:

The South Sudan National Police Service say they are concerned criminal activities could increase as the holidays approach and cautions the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity or people to authorities. 

In an exclusive interview Friday, Brig. Gen. James Dak Karlo, deputy police spokesperson and Director of the Special Protection Unit at the South Sudan National Police Service, says the security situation nationwide has been fairly calm except for a few places in Jonglei state, Lakes state and parts of the Greater Pibor Administrative area where inter-communal attacks, revenge killings and cattle raids have occurred in the past. 

Karlo says police have received reports of child abductions and early child marriages in Pibor and Bor and several reports about youth gangs robbing people on the streets of Juba. 

“When Christmas comes every child in the house needs new shoes, new clothes, new hair dress and men also want to put something on the table,” Karlo says, noting families might want to change diet with expensive meals like Chicken and due to the high cost of these stuff in the festive season, some people may resort to criminal activities to obtain them.

“The month of December is a rush month because there’s a lot of economic burden and if they don’t get it (what they want for Christmas), they’ll use other means (and) the other means is robbery.” Karlo says.

Every year in December, there is typically a spike in robberies, road accidents, gender-based violence and domestic violence across the country. Karlo says the police are on standby. 

“We deploy more forces at the hot spots and then we’ll deploy forces among our sectors, we have sector One, Two, Three, (Four, and) sector Five. In these sectors; we have joint integrated forces composed of national security, Tiger forces, South Sudan National Police Forces, all these forces will be on alert.”

“These forces will have a patrol movement and they will have a mobile movement and they will have a checkpoint movement with vehicles, forces, and guns so that whatever happens they will be alert.” Karlo added.

Many people also travel from rural areas to urban centers or vice versa to spend time with their families. Karlo says the police and the other security organizations are aware of these movements during the festive season and will ensure that vehicle escorts are provided, especially for those traveling along Juba-Nimule road, where numerous ambushes and road attacks have occurred in the past. 

The police will also ensure that passengers using the Juba- Yei – Kaya, Juba-Torit, Juba-Bor, Juba-Terekeka and Juba-Maridi roads are protected and travel safely. 

“They have to be alert and they have to be as a team to see night watches, to make the children also take the security in their hands and they have to report whatever they see is suspicious, or people trying to make a certain plan, they have to report before time.”

“As we say December is a hot month, so you’ve to see that when you go at night, doors are locked, nobody comes late and also the neighbor must be conscious, if there is a cry from the other door, we have to get up and see what’s going on. If there’s a gunshot you have to ring the security.” Karlo said, encouraging the public to always cooperate with the police by sharing tips about suspects involved in any incident, saying communities often know the robbers or the bandits as they live together.