Northern Province Governor Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi has said that Rwandans have matured to understand that matters of national security are each one’s responsibility.
The governor made the remarks while addressing Burera security where he was flanked by the Northern Region Police Commander Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Eugene Kabasha along with several other officials.
The meeting that was attended by over a thousand residents, addressed key security issues ranging from domestic violence to drug trafficking and abuse.
“Today, all Rwandans have prioritized national security and made it an individual responsibility however; the few minor cases that are record can as well be handled. We can only address these concerns if we stand up against such offenses. That can only be achieved by working closely security organs,” said Governor Gatabazi.
He also called upon leaders and the residents to work together and toughen crime prevention measures. “Maintaining law and order is a collective responsibility of every responsible Rwandan and that why everyone should respect the initiative of ‘neighborhood watch’…be an eye for each other, and that way, criminals will find it hard to succeed in their ill-plans and equally easier to locate and arrest them.”
He appealed to the residents to refrain from domestic conflicts, and always seek the help of Police, mediators or even leaders to handle and solve their grievances instead of taking matters into their hands that also labels them “criminals.”
During the meeting, CSP Kabasha appealed to residents to strengthen community night patrols and always hurry to report any information on unlawful acts to the Police for a quick response or arrest of any possible criminals.
The DPCreminded those attending the function of the concern of trafficking, selling and abusing narcotic drugs such as cannabis, locally made psychotropic substances and banned gin such as Kanyanga and other gin packed in plastic bags.
“There is a connection in most crimes to drug abuse. Theft, family conflicts, gender based violence, child abuse, fighting and school drop outs; all these are in most cases committed by people under the influence of drugs,” he observed, calling for concerted efforts and information exchange with the police to arrest the dealers.
He appealed to the local leaders to take the lead in this fight adding that their responsibility and success in implementing development programmes depends on the level of security as well.
