Dokolo District Moves to Establish Village Security Committees to Combat Crime

What the report says

Dokolo District security leaders have ordered Local Council I chairpersons across the district to set up five-member village security committees as part of a wider effort to curb crime and improve local safety, according to Dokolo Post. The direction was outlined by District Community Liaison Officer Leo Moses Ogwal, who spoke on behalf of Resident District Commissioner Babra Akech at a security meeting in Awinyipany Cell, Central Ward, Dokolo Town Council, on October 27, 2026.

Ogwal said the new committees are expected to work with police through night patrols, reporting suspected offenders, and helping identify criminal activity in their villages. He also urged local leaders to coordinate with security agencies and avoid taking the law into their own hands. The meeting also called for reports on people involved in marijuana use or trade and other illegal drugs.

Awinyipany Cell LCI chairperson William Otyanga listed concerns including livestock theft, drug abuse, housebreaking, night-time attacks, and domestic violence. He and other residents pressed for stronger community vigilance and faster reporting of suspicious activity. The meeting adopted resolutions to establish the committees, register residents, and submit names of suspected criminals to law enforcement in line with the law.

The gathering also addressed a separate dispute over a fenced-off community access road linking Awinyipany Cell to Dokolo Town and key services such as the police station, health centre, schools and churches. Residents asked district authorities to reopen the road, while former district chairperson James Otoo Apili said a past council resolution had aimed to protect district offices without blocking public access.