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Kinyarwanda
The Rwanda National Police (RNP) has established a special unit charged with protecting the environment, as the force gears towards ensuring sustainable development.
The ‘Environmental Police Protection Unit (EPPU)’ was launched on June 11 at the RNP headquarters in Kacyiru as an initiative between RNP and the Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA).
The new unit will have the powers to arrest, summon and investigate all kinds of environmental related crimes.
While officiating at the official launch of the EPPU, the Minister of Land and Natural Resources commended stakeholders for working tirelessly with Rwanda National Police to make the launch of the Unit a success.
“Environmental crimes have frequently ranked low on the law enforcement priority list, they are often less known than other crimes yet they impose a security and safety threat to development. If not checked, such actions hinder our committed pathway to sustainable economic growth,” Minister Biruta said.
He pledged to further support the newly established Unit, through different initiatives to ensure environment is efficiently protected.
“The role of RNP in environmental protection comprises not only law enforcement but also participation in the preservation of environment through environmental education, practical interpretation of the environmental laws to citizens and engaging in the public environment management awareness process,” he added.
He further noted that gas emission stood at 23% in January this year but lately the figure decreased to 7 percent in the country. He attributed this achievement to the good collaboration between stakeholders and RNP.
The event was also attended by Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, the Director General of REMA, and marked by a walk from Kacyiru Bus Terminal to Kacyiru Police headquarters attended by environmentalists, residents and Youth Volunteers in Crime Prevention.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana, commended the existing partnership with different stakeholders such the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, REMA and the public, in efforts to protect the environment.
He however blamed environment degradation on destructive human activities and urged and members of general public to have a sense of ownership in campaigns to protect the environment.
Lamin M. Manneh, the One UN Resident Coordinator, said the launch of the unit is an innovative commitment of RNP and it's partners to contributing to sustainable development in Rwanda.
“Environmental crime typically breaches national and international environmental laws or convention that exists to ensure the conservation and sustainability of the world’s environment. Activities such as poaching, illegal logging of timber; unreported and unregulated fishing, illegal trade in chemicals including ozone-depleting substance; and illegal disposal of hazardous waste. New types of environmental crime are also emerging, for example in carbon trade and water management,” Lamin noted.
The unit will be operational in all districts of the country, having liaison officers at every district. It will make spontaneous checks at porous borders, have periodical joint operation with park managers in national parks and conduct periodical trainings of Police officers and game rangers on a series of environmental conservation and weapon handling modules.
The new unit will protect environment in all its aspects including air space, forestry and biodiversity, and the enforcement of different legal instruments.
Environmental crimes have frequently ranked low in the country, compared to other crimes, but it’s presumed that some are less known yet they impose a security and safety threat to nature.
“Crime prevention has been one of the primary mandates of Rwanda National Police since its inception in 2000, but it’s necessary for RNP to include and strengthen the Environmental Police Unit so as to curb down the emerging environmental crimes that have Trans-boundary effect.”
The establishment of the unit is therefore viewed as a milestone in Rwanda’s environmental protection drive following the launch of the awareness campaign to control of vehicle emissions and machines using petroleum products, a move that aimed at preventing air pollution, early last year.
Late last year, RNP received new gadgets that include four emission gas testing machines and three decibels (sound test masters) from REMA to enforce the law efficiently.
The acquisition of the emission gas testing gadgets was in line with government’s will to begin mandatory vehicle emissions effective this year in an effort to improve air quality as well as the health and environment of all Rwandans as stipulated under the Prime Minister’s Instructions preventing air pollution caused by vehicular emissions and machines using petroleum products.
RNP, REMA and the ministries of Land and Natural Resources, Internal Security and Infrastructure, as well as Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) are part of the regulatory body.
RNP has also planted over 500 hectares of forest across the country as part of its drive to protect the environment and contribution to sustainable development.
