Sniffer rats

Police in Uganda have said they plan to import rats and cockroaches to help them detect smuggled weapons and narcotics.

The police say, if well trained, rats have the ability to detect explosives even in small amounts, which could enable them play a special complimentary role to sniffer dogs, which are already used by police detectives around the world.

Uganda is among the countries described by the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes as a transit area for illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin.

BBC Focus on Africa's Joshua Mmali reports from Kampala.