Frontline First: Strengthening Uganda’s Wildlife Crime Unit with Lifesaving Training_

SIRM was proud to partner with Focused Conservation in early 2025 to deliver specialist emergency first aid training to members of the Uganda Wildlife Crime Unit (UWCU) and affiliated agencies. Following a comprehensive Training Needs Review, a critical gap was identified: the need for lifesaving medical skills in high-risk, remote areas. Drawing on SIRM’s extensive experience, our team was able to design and facilitate a rigorous, hands-on course tailored to the operational realities faced by UWCU officers. It was an honour to support Focused Conservation’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding not only Uganda’s wildlife—but the dedicated professionals who risk their lives to protect it.

Presented below is a summary from our partners at Focused Conservation:

In the heart of East Africa, where the stakes of conservation are as high as the beauty of the landscapes, one elite team is rewriting the rules of wildlife protection. Since its inception in 2018, the Uganda Wildlife Crime Unit (UWCU) has emerged as a global model for multi-agency collaboration in the fight against wildlife trafficking. Drawing on the specialized skills of Uganda’s top enforcement agencies, the unit has successfully dismantled criminal networks, rescued live animals from the illegal trade, and seized large volumes of illicit wildlife products. Behind this success story is a quiet but powerful force: Focused Conservation.

Focused Conservation played a foundational role in establishing the UWCU and remains deeply involved in its daily operations through funding, mentorship, and technical support. Our Technical Advisors, all former criminal investigators, work side-by-side with the team to ensure officers are equipped not just with investigative tools, but with the resilience, skills, and knowledge necessary to operate in some of the most dangerous and remote regions of Uganda.

But in late 2024, after a comprehensive Training Needs Review, our team identified a crucial gap—emergency first aid. Officers were routinely deploying to remote bush locations and conflict zones with little or no access to emergency medical support. While these men and women were fearless in the face of traffickers, their own health and safety needed urgent attention.

We immediately began searching for a solution and soon partnered with SIRM (Security, Intelligence and Risk Management)—a UK-based team known for their real-world paramedic experience and expertise in delivering high-pressure training. Although funding delays tied to a U.S. Government review temporarily held things up, we were finally able to bring the SIRM team to Uganda in early 2025. And it was worth the wait.

Thanks to our partners at the Uganda Conservation Foundation, we secured an excellent local venue at a Kampala rugby ground, which provided both indoor classrooms and outdoor terrain for immersive, real-life training scenarios. Over several days, officers from UWCU, UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority), NRCN (National Resource Conservation Network), and the Uganda Police were put through their paces.

The course was comprehensive. From Basic Life Support (BLS) and automated defibrillator use, to airway management, catastrophic haemorrhage control, casualty triage, and road traffic collision response, the training covered critical emergencies officers might face in the field. The sessions were rigorous, hands-on, and adapted to the real-world challenges Ugandan officers encounter on patrol.

Notably, three of the participants already serve as First Aid instructors for UWA. For them, this course wasn’t just educational—it was transformational. They returned to their units not only with new skills, but with the ability to pass on lifesaving knowledge to the next generation of rangers and officers.

At Focused Conservation, we believe protecting wildlife also means protecting those who risk their lives to do it. This training wasn’t just a course—it was a commitment. A commitment to our partners, to the officers in the field, and to the belief that every mission is safer when teams are prepared, trained, and supported.

The Uganda Wildlife Crime Unit has already set the standard for enforcement excellence. Now, with these new lifesaving skills, they’re even better equipped to carry out their mission—and return safely home.

Through its unique combination of military precision, technological innovation, and a commitment to excellence, SIRM redefines what it means to secure tomorrow, today.