Police say graduate, then join the force

SOUTHERN PROVINCE HUYE—Praising it as a respectable, patriotic profession, Deputy Commissioner General of the police called upon students at from the National University of Rwanda to join the National Police upon graduation. In a presentation on road-safety week, Mary Gahonzire noted that the police force needed more people and needed more professionals if it could achieve its mandate. “A modern and professional police force requires educated people, and a university like this is a potential source for such professionals that we urgently need,” Gahonzire said. Cases of traffic accidents have reduced over the last eight months in the area, though the 2007 reporting year is not yet over. So far, 1196 incidents have been reported, compared to 1953 during 2006. During the meeting, Gahonzire revealed that new electronic driving permits would not be twinned with national identity cards, as had been earlier thought. Students at the university also decried the continued misuse of firearms by local-defence forces guarding the school. “Local defence forces have taken it upon themselves to threaten students with their weapons and in some cases shooting aimlessly,” said one student preferring to stay nameless. “This puts the lives of students at risk.” Yet others, including regional commander Superintendent Simon Mukama, say students leave a lot to be desired on their part of the cooperation. “We have reports that students refuse to cooperate with local defence forces when asked to present their identification cards or when asked to take off hats for easy identification. This is the main cause of the dispute,” said Mukama. Responding to queries by students concerning difficulty in obtaining driving permits, commander Robert Niyonshuti promised to work with student leadership to design a timetable for students to take driving tests. “Getting a driving permit is not a favour. You have to satisfy the examiners to get it,” said Niyonshuti. Road-safety week in the province was organised by the National Police in partnership with Miss Campus under the Campus Promotions Initiative. Ends