The Rwanda National Police has assured the public of safety and security as well as that of their property following growing cases of break-ins. The Police reassurance follows concerns by a section of the public over burglary cases reported in different city suburbs. In recent months, city dwellers observe that late night break-ins are on the rise, with the suspects getting away with electronics such as television sets, home theatres, microwaves, among others. Although the crimes have mostly been non-violent, many victims have reported losing property worth millions of francs in the burglaries. According to victims who spoke to The New Times, among the tactics used by the burglars include quietly breaking window panes, cutting window grills to gain entry into victim’s houses. However, speaking to The New Times, yesterday, Police said the break-ins are isolated cases and the force is in control of the situation. Celestin Twahirwa, the Police spokesperson, said the cases reported are sporadic incidents and not trends to cause fear among citizens. “Kigali is safe, Kigali Metropolitan Police is doing everything it takes to ensure total security in the city. They are not working alone, because of the importance attached to the city; we work with all other city organs, the City of Kigali (authorities) and the public. This is why we have introduced patrols by Police and community players,” he said. Twahirwa said community policing committees also make assessment of their respective areas and advise in terms of security and orient resources on where they need to be allocated. The Police spokesperson added that they were well aware that with the city’s pace of development, there are bound to be emerging issues. “We have specific police units for such situations. We have a special crackdown force in Kigali, which is always on alert to track (criminals) and make follow-ups, if anybody reports being robbed. The crackdown unit is always alert to track and recover property,” Twahirwa said. As to whether they were particularly concerned with the security situation in the city, he maintained that they were not worried about the situation in any area or suburb as they have adequately deployed officers and make assessments regularly. In the event of an incident, Twahirwa said residents should not hesitate to reach the Police through one of several hotlines such as 112. “We want people to know that anything that happens can be reacted to accordingly if Police is informed in time. Such incident can happen sporadically but they are not trends. If it happens, immediately it is reported we react to it and make assessments to get to the root. This is why we have been able to make multiple arrests and recover property,” Twahirwa said. However, he admitted that Police were experiencing challenges in ensuring that recovered goods are returned to the rightful owners. This, Twahirwa explained, was largely because people are expected to present proof of ownership which few have. To end the challenge, he said, they are urging the public that every time they have valuables at home, it is good to brand them to improve traceability. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
