Nyamasheke urged to enhance community policing

The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, has appealed to local leaders in Nyamasheke District to partner with the police to strengthen the community policing system to help prevent crime. The police chief made the call, Friday, while addressing a team of local leaders from Nyamasheke. The team, led by the district Mayor, Jean Baptiste Habyarimana, had visited the police headquarters in Kacyiru, to get first hand information on how the force operates. “Strengthening the community policing system will help us prevent crimes like drug and alcohol abuse, genocide ideology, and rape, through information exchange,” Gasana observed. Nyamasheke borders the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where marijuana smuggled into the country is said to be coming from. Last year, over 1,600 people were arrested in connection with drug related crimes, with over 1,000 accused of either trading or consuming marijuana. Over 563,948 kilograms of marijuana and 4,274 litres of illegal brew (locally known as Kanyanga), were confiscated and destroyed. Kanyanga is mainly smuggled from Uganda. Habyarimana commended the police for carrying out its duties effectively and promised further partnership in fighting crime. Seth Rwasibo, the district Legal Advisor, said the district, together with the police, identified illegal borders used by smugglers. “This partnership will help us apprehend criminals through community policing committees which were trained in partnership with police and the army,” Rwasibo said. The leaders also visited the call centre and the gender desk, Isange One-Stop Centre, which offers free medical services to GBV victims. bosco.asiimwe@newtimes.co.rw