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The Rwanda Police has started a two-day awareness campaign in refugee camps in the country, which will see Community Policing Committees (CPCs) created to further fight crimes.
According to the Director of Community Policing, Superintendent Sam Rumanzi, teams composed of Police officers were dispersed in all camps on Wednesday where they will meet camp leaders, who will in turn form CPCs.
“These are camps on the Rwandan soil, and it is imperative to engage them in activities such as community policing, which are also vital to them and the country in general,” said Superintendent Rumanzi.
The Community policing strategy brings the general public in solving local problems or makes specific improvements that enhance the overall quality of life in the community.
“Community policing increases a sense of responsibility for personal safety and problem solving among citizens and shifts from a predominantly reactive response to service calls, to proactive problem solving and increases effectiveness at resolving community-wide problems,” explained Rumanzi.
Currently, there are five refugee camps in the country, comprised of majority Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) nationals, who fled clashes in the eastern part of the country.
The camps are Gihembe in Gicumbi District, Nkamira in Rubavu District, Nyabiheke in Gatsibo District, Kiziba in Karongo District and Kigeme in Nyamagabe District.
“We want to establish a network of community policing in these camps, add value to security by preventing crimes such as GBV – Gender Based Violence – drug abuse, human trafficking and engage them in environmental protection activities,” said Superintendent Rumanzi.
He added that they want to sensitize them on the dangers of early pregnancy and HIV/AIDS prevention.
