The Rwanda National Police (RNP) is mandated to safeguard the fundamental rights and to guarantee safety and security of persons and their property. This is a constitutional duty that RNP implements in partnership with the community to be accountable to them, understand and protect their rights as ideals of good governance and rule of law as a firm foundation towards sustainable security and development.
Over the years, the force has engaged in various policing and human security activities to ensure the responsiveness of everyone in fighting and preventing crime, and ensuring the welfare of the people.
Police Week
The Police Week is an annual exercise to mark the RNP anniversary. It mainly focus on raising awareness against crimes as well as supporting the disadvantaged families and communities to cement the philosophy of people-centred policing—community policing.
This has, therefore, deepened the citizenry engagement and inclusive policing in ensuring their own safety and security especially in human security initiatives, which over the years enhanced positively the public trust and confidence in their Police.
This year, the countrywide Police Week activities will be carried out from May 15 to June 16, 2018, the day when the force will mark its 18th anniversary referred to as ‘Police Day.’ The Police Week will be held under the theme: "18 Years of Partnership in Policing: Towards a crime-free Village.” Human security and development activities as well as sensitization campaigns are a deliberate move to promote crime-free village model throughout the country, strengthen police-public partnerships as a sustainable tool for crime prevention and enhancing the wellbeing of communities.
Promoting the ‘crime-free Village’
The RNP strongly believe that enhanced citizen participation in maintaining security as well as getting involved in human security initiatives lays a strong foundation that help to strengthen partnerships in crime prevention, support social programmes and support national efforts towards sustainable development.
This year’s Police Week will mainly focus on providing solar energy systems to the disadvantaged families residing far from the national power grid, and construction of Village offices in identified crime free villages in all districts.
Over 3000 households will be connected with solar energy, construct and fully equip at least one Village office in each of the 30 districts. Each of the constructed Village office will also have Early Childhood Development (ECD) room and equipped with TV sets.
In preventing crimes, focus will mainly be put on narcotic drugs, gender based violence, house break-ins, trafficking in human being, corruption and promoting road safety.
The Police Week activities will be conducted in partnership with government ministries as well as other security organs, local entities and other community policing groups.
Keeping Kigali clean, green and safe
In partnership with the City of Kigali, we will also engage in security and hygiene campaign to promote a clean, green and safe city. Outstanding performers in the 7th edition of security and hygiene campaign in different categories will be awarded varied prizes. The campaign is partly designed to build stronger and functioning community policing committees, community night patrols, fight drug abuse, domestic violence, and noise pollution, sale of alcoholic drinks to minors, fire outbreak, public order management and promoting road security.
Impact of ‘Police Week’
Over the years, RNP has engaged in similar activities to promote the concept of community policing towards sustainable security and development.
Last year’s anniversary activities were valued at about Rwf372 million. They include distribution and connection of over 3400 households (at least one Village in each of the 30 districts) and 30 health centres, with solar energy.
Other community development activities conducted included paying medical insurance premiums for 700 people; construction of two football grounds in Gasabo and Rutsiro districts worth Rwf53.8 million; fighting armyworms (sprayed 46 hectares of the affected plantations); construction of 150 toilets worth over Rwf23 million; extension of clean tap water to over 600 households in Gasabo, Burera, Kirehe, Rwamagana, Rutsiro and Nyamagabe districts.
Others include planting of trees, construction and renovation of 72km of feeder roads, 53 houses for the disadvantaged families, nine bridges linking communities, organic gardens.
The current safety and security as recognised by local, regional and international reports that have placed Rwanda as one of the safest countries globally, is partly attributed to this valuable partnership between RNP and other public and private institutions under the grand and visionary leadership.
Our policing journey is documented in the book titled: "Policing a Rapidly Transforming Post-Genocide Society”, which also highlights 10-key priorities of the strategic framework of RNP that serves as the architecture for preventing and combating crime threats in Rwanda.
These key priorities include capacity building, force discipline, crime reduction, community policing, international cooperation and Peace Support Operations, anti-corruption, E-Policing, media and communications, welfare and infrastructure development.
Partnership with the community
Today, RNP boosts of regular social media interactions, electronic and print publications, toll free telephone lines for emergencies in partnership with Telephone Service Providers, the formation of groups of active community policing partners that include over 15000 Youth Volunteers in Community Policing (YVCP), Anti-crime Ambassadors, 150,000 Community Policing Committees (CPCs), close to 2000 Anti-clubs in schools, transport associations, media fraternity, artists, faith based organizations and government and private institutions that have signed 45 MoUs with RNP.
Over the years, the force has constructed houses for the vulnerable households, participated in Gir’inka national project, supporting motorcyclist cooperatives to build their capacities, afforestation- 500 Ha were planted by Police countrywide, helping vulnerable families to pay health insurance (Mutuelle de sante).
The 4th resolution of the 13th National Dialogue of December 2015, demands deepened citizen participation in planning, monitoring, and implementation of development programmes.
Police Week, therefore, partly responds to this demand by ensuring effective engagement between the police and the community, along with other government institutions and partners in addressing existing human security needs in collaboration with citizens as they take part in their own security and development issues.
Promoting and supporting the ideal of a crime-free Village defines a milestone thus far and further deepen the individual and collective responsiveness of every member of the community towards sustainable security.