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Police launch crackdown to rid Kigali of crime

Sunday April 30 2023
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Police have been accused of killing suspects instead of arresting them for prosecution in court, Picture: File

By MOSES K. GAHIGI

The Rwanda National Police has launched operations to curb rising cases of crime following public outcry over escalating of cases thefts and house break-ins in the capital city.

The RNP spokesperson John Bosco Kabera said operations to apprehend thieves have been intensified, and that some of the criminals behind nefarious activities have been arrested.

Mr Kabera called on members of the public to collaborate with security agencies in swift and timely information sharing on individuals and rings suspected to be connected to the criminal gang.

"We reassure the public that the issue of theft is being addressed and the police has increased its operations against it as well as all acts of lawlessness. It is the duty of the RNP to ensure the safety of people and their property," said Mr Kabera.

He cautioned those involved in lawlessness to refrain and rather engage in legal businesses instead of languishing in prison for something avoidable.

"We know groups of young people at Giti k'inyoni, Gisozi, Gatsata, Gikondo and other areas, who spend the whole day loitering waiting for darkness to start stealing from cars, snatching phones and other valuables from people, breaking into houses, and those who steal clothes from drying ropes in homes.

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They should not spend the whole day thinking of how to steal, but rather to have positive thinking of what to do to change their lives," Mr Kabera warned.

Walker Jemrose Leanora, a British national who heads a charity organisation, Young Citizens of Rwanda, was trailed by two thieves after withdrawing Rw4,110,000 from the bank, who ended up breaking into her car and stole the money on April 12.

Luckily, three days later, CCTV footage helped to identify the two thieves, who were tracked and arrested by police and the money was also recovered from them before it was returned to the owner.

One of the suspects, a resident of Nyamirambo sector, was found to be a former convict who served two years at Nyarugenge prison for the same felony of breaking into vehicles to steal valuables, he had been released in December last year after completing the sentence.

Rwanda Today recently reported on rising cases of crime in Kigali, where besides many losing property in the robberies, some people have lost their lives at the hands of violent criminals.

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