Rwanda National Police

Rwanda National Police (RNP) has trained 1430 members of Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing (RYVCP) in City of Kigali, who are expected to support the ongoing road safety campaign.

The one day training held on Thursday, September 5, is part of the RNP Gerayo Amahoro campaign to further instill the road safety culture.

It was organized by the RNP in partnership with Rwanda Civil Society Platform and UNDP, to introduce youth volunteers to ethics and values of traffic and road safety duties, communication skills and public engagement, and traffic management, among others.

Formed in 2013, Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing, which has close to two million members across the country, has been instrumental in community development activities, including awareness against high impact crimes, construction and renovation of houses for the disadvantaged families, roads, organic gardens, planting trees and other human security activities.

Richard Kubana, Director General in charge of Community Mobilisation and Youth Volunteers Coordination in the Ministry of Local Government, thanked them for their impact in national security and development.

"You have been conducting community policing activities to fight and prevent crimes in your communities, now you have another responsibility to ensure road safety and we have no doubt that you will create impact in influencing behavior change to save lives on road," Kubana said.

Effective this Friday, youth volunteers will be acquiring more practical skills on road safety, including use of Zebra Crossing to facilitate pedestrians especially in busy traffic areas.

This is expected to improve the understanding of pedestrians on the use of walkways as well as motorists on the rights of pedestrians.

Eventually, it will curb the rate of traffic violations and accidents especially at Zebra Crossing caused by either sides.

Commissioner of Police (CP) George Rumanzi, the Commissioner for Operations and Public Order, lauded the value of youth volunteers in crime prevention.

"Over the years, youth volunteers have done a lot of commendable security and development activities, including your role in containing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Your role in fighting drug abuse and support the disadvantaged families is highly valued. You are now an additional force in ensuring road safety, and we believe in you," CP Rumanzi said.

He further urged them to always help vulnerable groups like children, elderly and people with disabilities.