Editor, RE: “Police recover over Rwf1.3 million stolen from businessman” (The New Times, July 10). This is yet another good reason why I should write to commend Rwanda National Police. Truly, this is a spirit I have seen in a few places in Africa. Police personnel in some of our countries are rather known for doing the opposite. Rwanda police treat suspected wrongdoers as their clients, while elsewhere, a wrongdoer is treated like police’s enemy. In Rwanda, you do not hear of Police beating up suspects or torture them to confess. In my home country, there is a recent case where police intersected businessmen with hundreds of millions of cash on their way to a nearby bank to deposit the money. They killed the two innocent men on instruction of a regional police chief, then they recreated a scene to placate the two men as having been armed and neutralised by the police in a fire exchange. To conceal the evidence, they proceeded to kill even the taxi driver who drove these two innocent men. When those that knew these people well identified them as known and respected businessmen, investigations established that in fact these men were taken in a forest at the city peripheral and shot dead. Now this is unfortunate because these were the same people who were supposed to protect these men. The Government of Rwanda should always ensure the police force is motivated, and continue to inculcate in them good values to ensure they remain in service to the citizenry. Having citizens who do not trust their police force can have far-reaching consequences. Sometimes, back I was afraid of staying at my mother’s place in Kirehe because most of her neighbours were once convicts of the Genocide against the Tutsi. I thought there was no security there, and always thought with trepidation what I would do if these people came after me. Then after a few days there, I started witnessing the positive side of these people. One by one, they passed by home, greeted my mother and always asked about me; if I was her son, where I live, what I do, among others. I felt so disturbed. Some of these people had just been released from prison for murder, yet they were asking personal information about me. My mother assured me that all was well. She then called one police officer attached to Nyakarambi Police Station. The officer came and he was told about my security concerns. The policeman took my number and gave me his. From there, I regained confidence of staying at my mother’s village. The police officer became my good friend from then onwards. Rwanda has visionary leaders and its future is a very bright one. I wish you all peace! Yulian
