Rwanda National Police

Over 2400 members of Community Policing Committees (CPCs) in Nyamasheke District met on November 30 to discuss and strategize their policing roles in their respective communities.

The one-day meeting was conducted separately where the CPCs met in their respective sectors (15 sectors that make up Nyamasheke) to review security related issues.

According to the District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) of Nyamasheke, Inspector of Police (IP) Deo Mutabaruka, the meeting was organized so that they get a common understanding on issues of security and subsequent response to any challenges.

“The meeting was meant to ensure that the CPCs review their policing roles, security challenges that are common in their respective communities and draw a comprehensive strategy on how they will partner with police, local leaders and the residents, to address them,” IP Mutabaruka said.

“In general, community policing committees are central to crime prevention. Currently, there are issues of drug abuse, domestic and gender based violence and family disputes, which they CPCs will discuss on how to effectively address them, but emphasizing the other important part of timely information sharing,” he added.

Community policing has been credited for improving safety and security in the country, and is among the priorities of a proactive approach by Rwanda National Police.

There are currently over 140, 000 members of Community Policing Committees in the country, who were trained and equipped with crime prevention skills.