Narcotic drug trafficking and use of illicit brew and theft cases were among the most common crimes reported in 2019 according to the Rwanda National Police. This emerged at a press conference held on Friday at the Police headquarters where the law enforcement agency provided a security recap of 2019 and plans for the 2020. Speaking in the press conference, Charles Kayihura the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Department of Public Operations and Public Order said that the country generally had a peaceful year, except for the October upheavals in which armed assailants attacked homes in Musanze District, Northern Province. Kayihura noted that the most prevalent crimes in 2019 involved drug trafficking with police destroying more than 359,800 litres of illicit brew that was being trafficked to Rwanda last year. Further statistics availed by Police Spokesperson, Commissioner of Police John Bosco Kabera showed that theft was also common with security agencies arresting 76 people who were involved in various criminal activities such as stealing school computers. Without giving statistics, ACP Kayihura also highlighted that cases of murder, defilement, assault, human trafficking, child labour and under age in bars also featured on the list of the prevalent crimes in 2019. He also pointed out notable incidences that required police attention in 2019 including fire that gutted carpentry businesses in Gisozi, natural disasters in the form of heavy rains that claimed a dozen lives across the country, as well as mining accidents in Kamonyi, Rwamagana, and Muhanga districts. According to police, the force is going to launch more measures for crime prevention among them a new campaign to curb gender-based violence Dubbed “Rengera Umwana”. The campaign will look to sensitize communities on combating sexual harassment, child labour, drug abuse and mutiple forms of child abuse. The campaign will also look to hold child abuse perpetrators responsible for vices. Meanwhile, police said that road accidents went down by almost 17 percent this year compared to last year. Police said that 4661 accidents occurred in 2019 year, compared to 5611 cases in the previous year with improvement being credited to traffic measures including the introduction of highway speed cameras, and the ‘Gerayo Amahoro’ campaign which addressed vices such as drink-driving and over speeding among others.
