Rwanda National Police

Innovation at Rwanda National Police took another step forwards on January 8, with the official launch of the Mobile Police Station Vehicles services.

These services are extended to citizens residing or working in places located far away from Police stations, whereby, a mobile vehicle treks through the terrain searching for those wishing to make complaints or to report injustices committed against them.

The launch took place in Kamonyi District, Mugina Sector, where the station vehicle packed in a market place and inside it, an officer received and recorded reports from close to 100 residents.

“The idea is to take Police services to the remotest parts of Rwanda. Many times people have cases to report but because the police post is far away, they end up not making the report. Now they will be able to make the reports easily without incurring any costs,” Superintendent Hamza Vita, the District Police Commander of Kamonyi, said in an interview.

“We had made an announcement earlier that the vehicle will set base at Mugina and so far, the attendance has been overwhelming in just one day. This shows how important this service is.”

Police currently has two Mobile Station Vehicles that cover areas which are assessed to be in need of the services, with plans to have enough vehicles that can traverse the whole country within the coming years.

As the vehicle rolled up in a market place at Mugina, residents queued up to receive Police services – one of them was 65 year old Pascal Mbonyibyabo, who reported his brother for illegally evicting him from their deceased father’s land.

“I have always wanted to report my situation at Police and today is my big chance. I lived deep inside Mugina but now I am homeless. When my father died, my brother decided to take over the land as the heir and he chased me from the land portion that had been allocated to me. I hope police will help me,” he said.

Just like Mbonyibyabo, most residents reported land disputes – and according to the Executive Secretary Mugina Sector, Jean de Dieu Nkurunziza, this service will further cement the trust which residents have for Police.

“From the way this mobile police station initiative has been received by the public, it is a sign of how important the citizens perceive it and also shows the level of trust between Police and the citizens,” he argued.

In a pilot phase before the official launch, one of the vehicles was stationed in Bugesera District on December 23, 2014 and recorded over 50 cases.

Officers at the Mobile Police Station Vehicles will record every complaint presented by individuals and then sort them out accordingly. Police will retain and investigate cases that are within its mandate and channel other files to relevant institutions such as the judiciary and local leaders.