{{The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana said that the community policing strategy has played a crucial role in maintaining security in the country.}}
The IGP made the remarks on May 14 while briefing a standing committee of the senate on foreign affairs, cooperation and security at the Rwanda National Police headquarters in Kacyiru.
The meeting was also attended by the DIGP in charge of Operations, Dan Munyuza and other senior officers.
The committee had visited the RNP to get first hand information on the role of Community Policing Committees (CPCs) in ensuring and maintaining safety and security in the country.
The CPCs operates at the cell and village levels and were put in place under the Ministerial decree No.02/07 of October 2007.
There are about 80, 000 members of CPCs across the country, who have been trained in various policing fields
“Community policing is a tool that has successfully played a major role and support the Rwanda National Police operations to ensure safety and security the country in enjoying today,” the IGP said.
This strategy brings the public in solving localized problems and to make specific improvements that enhance the overall quality of life in the communities.
The force’s proactive approach was also introduced to give authority to the community to feel involved and to have a sense of belonging and responsibility in fighting and preventing crimes.
The overall idea was to replace the old policing system where the public used to fear the police or security organs, and in this way, they could harbour criminals and hardly provided information on criminal acts.
The Police Chief also briefed the Senators on the force’s priority areas to effectively deal with the modern policing challenges, which include capacity building especially through training, crime prevention, international cooperation to combat transnational crimes, community policing and fighting corruption.
Other priorities include E-policing, media and policing, infrastructure development and intelligence-led policing.
IGP Gasana noted that fighting crimes requires all stakeholders including the public, partnering with regional and international forces.
He observed that criminals are taking advantage of the modern technology to execute their evil plans such as terrorism, human and drug trafficking and money laundering, which require local and international cooperation to prevent such criminal activities.
The Senators thanked the RNP for being a “people’s force” and expressed “satisfaction” on the role of CPCs in the fighting and preventing crimes.
“This consultative meeting has been fruitful and it will guide us as we continue to conduct our findings on the role of CPCs in maintaining security,” Jean Damascene Bizimana, chairperson of the committee, said.
The Senators are planning to meet with CPCs across the country before producing their report on the findings.
RNP
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