Rwanda National Police

The Mayor of Musanze District Jean Damascene Habyarimana together with the District Police Commander (DPC) Supt. Aphrodis Gashumba held a meeting with residents of Kinigi Sector on September 5, and urged them to work together to strengthen night patrols and neighborhood watch to prevent crimes.

While addressing over 800 residents, Mayor Habyarimana said that security requires “ownership and partnership,” adding that being an eye and ears each other ensure safety of each other, and timely flow of information and response to detected crime.

“Safety, security and peace is a responsibility for every Rwandan; that’s why the ideal of ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ and Irondo were developed for us all to own and jointly address security challenges,” said the Mayor.

During the meeting, Supt. Gashumba reminded the residents that: “community policing is one of the methods that are of value to bringing households together and to watch out for each other. It will be easier to identify likely wrongdoers and it informs the way to prevent a crime.”

He, however, acknowledged the impact of public involvement in community policing activities, which he said have playing a great role in improved safety and security.

“Alertness does not mean to fear but to remain on guide.”

The DPC appealed to residents to avoid family conflicts and to always channel their grievances to concerned authorities like Police, local leaders and Abunzi (community based mediators), instead of taking matters in their hands.

 The DPC challenged local leaders who attended the meeting to always involve the masses in maintaining security and to collaborate in information sharing adding that “security is a fundamental pillar for development” that every Rwandan should actively be part of.

He pointed to the security challenges linked to drug abuse, saying it has in most cases fueled petty theft, domestic violence and sexual crimes.