New statistics from National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) have shown that theft and voluntary assault were the most prevalent crimes in Rwanda during the 2023/2024 judicial year (between June 2023 and June 2024), accounting for 57 percent of all reported crimes.

During the official conclusion of the 2023/2024 judicial year, Prosecutor General Angelique Habyarimana highlighted that the two crimes dominated the case files received by the NPPA from investigators, and she pointed out that they will work with relevant institutions to not only curb such crimes but prevent them as well.

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In total, the NPPA received 90,493 case files, of which 90,079 were processed, representing a 99.5 percent completion rate.

"46,018 cases were brought to court, while 44,061 were dropped," Habyarimana stated.

The reasons why some cases were dropped include the use of alternative dispute resolution measures like the imposition of fines or mediation between conflicting parties.

"The mechanism of resolving conflicts without litigation continues by the NPPA as it is in line with the direction of the country's justice sector,” she said.

Rwanda is actively implementing new judicial policies, including the Criminal Justice Policy and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy (ADR), which are aimed at transforming how justice is administered.

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The two policies focus on a number of things including the increased use of non-custodial measures for detainees and convicts, prioritising non-litigious conflict resolution mechanisms, and making the prison system more rehabilitative than punitive.