Rwanda National Police Marine Unit has increased surveillance around beaches on the shores of Lake Kivu in Rubavu and Karongi districts to avoid cases of drowning during the festive season.

The Marine Commanding Officer, Senior Superintendent of Police, Alphonse Businge announced this days after 13 people drowned during the Christmas festivities on Lake Victoria shoreline in Entebbe, Uganda last weekend.

"We didn’t have any case of drowning during the Christmas period around those areas but we are still fully deployed and on standby until after the New Year’s Day,” said Businge.

Ugandan media reported yesterday that police was investigating criminal negligence offences against beach managers of the 10 entertainment places where revelers drowned.

Meanwhile, Businge said next year Police Marine Unit plans to reach out to a wider audience through public awareness campaigns to ensure security in and around water bodies, according to the officer.

"Part of our targeted audience are those who deal in water transport; we want to encourage them to have insurance, water transport authorisation, and also ensure they are always equipped with life jackets among other standards,” said SSP Businge.

He added that beside the transporters, the force intends to encourage the public to take part in the fight against smuggling done through water bodies.

"We will sensitise them about the effects of smuggling. Smuggling severely harms the economy in a multidimensional way. It undermines the local industry, discourages legal businesses and reduces the volume of revenues collected since smugglers evade taxes,” he said.

As part of Police’s environmental policing, Businge said that next year will be marked with campaigns against all illegal activities around water bodies especially illegal fishing.

"We want to ensure that every fisherman has a life jacket with him whenever they are fishing. We want to ensure their safety in case of any accidents,” said Businge.

He added that, there have been cases of illegal fishing and some of the people involved were arrested.

"Normally fishermen are required to have standards of fishing that ensure the kind and size of the mesh depending on the average age or size of the fish they want to catch, where and how to fish without affecting the fish. However, there are some people who conduct illegal fishing, normally when we get them we train and show them legal ways to do this business,”

He added that; "we want to reach out to as many fishermen in this coming year to educate them against illegal fishing.”

The marine unit was established in 2005 with 35 qualified personnel but the number has since increased operating the seven marine posts across the country, with its headquarters in Mushonyi Sector, Rutsiro District.

These posts have qualified marine officers with modern equipment charged with ensuring security and safety on Rwanda’s 17 inland lakes and three others shared with neighbouring countries, as well as ensuring that these water bodies are utilised in a sustainable manner in accordance with national laws.

Common illegal activities on lakes, he said, include illegal fishing or use of unspecified nets, smuggling and drug trafficking, which at times result into drowning.

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