Four truck drivers were arrested yesterday on different highways for allegedly trying to bribe Police officers on duty. The four men, currently detained at Kicukiro Police station, were trying to induce the officers not to penalise them over traffic offences, Police Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police Damas Gatare, said. The bribes ranged between Rwf2, 000 and Rwf5, 000. They were apprehended by the very officers they attempted to bribe. The quartet confessed to the crime and begged to be forgiven “I was transporting stones from Bugesera to Kigali but when I reached in Gahanga, I was stopped by a traffic officer who asked me for a ‘transport authorisation’ which I didn’t have. I offered him (officer) Rwf5, 000 to let me go but he instead arrested me,” the suspect said. Normally, any truck driver found transporting goods without authorisation permit is fined Rwf10, 000. “I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through what I am facing,” said another suspect who tried to offer a bribe of Rwf2, 000. ACP Gatare warned the public against such malpractices. “We have been conducting similar operations and several people have since been arrested,” ACP Gatare said. “The Rwanda National Police initiated measures to fight graft within the Force such as supervising officers on duty and taking disciplinary action against anyone caught soliciting a bribe,” he added. The RNP established an anti-corruption unit to keep the officers in check and enforce the Force’s zero tolerance stance against graft. Other measures include setting up the Ethics Centre to help maintain professional standards, values and norms of officers, as well as E-Policing such as online registration for driving licence tests.
