The mayor of City of Kigali, Pascal Nyamulinda has called for ownership of local leaders and the people to reinforce police efforts to break chains of illicit drugs supply.
He said that the concept of community policing fulfils the joint ideal of security and hygiene, which binds both Rwanda National Police and the City of Kigali to make the capital safe and clean.
Mayor Nyamulinda was speaking yesterday in Nduba Sector of Gasabo District shortly after a public to exercise to dispose of illicit drugs.
The psychotropic substances, which include about 900kgs of cannabis and 2200 litres of contrabands including crude gin – kanyanga – were seized in various police operations in Kigali in the last three months.
“The wellbeing of the people is what we all strive for as leaders and police; together, we need to empower and educate the people to equally be custodians of the law, report wrongdoers and ensure that development programmes are effectively implemented,” Mayor Nyamulinda said.
He downplayed arguments that most people engage in drug-related business because of poverty.
“These drugs are not given for free… dealers buy them with money that should be invested in legal businesses. These are millions of money that people just wasted in criminal business, which is more than enough to start a legal and big business,” he said.
“We want a clean, green and safer city with healthy people. We want a focused and dedicated youth, who should be in school or in legal businesses, but not a wasted young generation in drugs. This is therefore the duty of every local leader to work with the police and the people to realise this agenda.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Rogers Rutikanga, the Regional Police Commander for the central region, said that the force has intensified operations and awareness to crackdown on drug dealers.
“These are successes of intensified concerted with grassroots leaders and the people through information, especially on dealers. Many suppliers were arrested in these operations, which are continuous,” the RPC said.
He seized the opportunity to commend members of the public, who share information on suspected drug dealers and criminal in general, but condemned those who hide or don’t report them.
“If you don’t report a drug dealer, you are aiding a crime; you are also igniting domestic conflicts, assault, theft and sexual abuse including those directed to young girls, which most of them are influenced by use of these psychotropic substances,” ACP Rutikanga said.
This comes at the time when Rwanda National Police is actively involved in operations and community sensitisation programmes to break chains of drug supply, having mapped out major transit routes.
Kirehe, Nyagatare, Burera, Gicumbi and Rubavu, are said to be among the major routes to Kigali.
The Express News Rwanda
