Rwanda | Nyanza: Community policing to be used for drug abuse eradication

 After drug abuse has highlighted to be the cause of death among all, a program to engage residents in crime reporting has been started in Nyanza district.

The goal of engaging residents (being a watchman to your fellow resident) is to bring the public into helping the police to identify and address crime issues.

Gilles Rukundo, coordinator of the policing program activities, narrates the program was put in place after discovering that drug use and sale destroy the body, mind, soul and Rwandan values in young and old.

Jules Rukundo, in charge of coordinating activities of community policing in Nyanza district.

Rukundo narrates: “Murder, violence, accidents, poverty and drug use are the main problems affecting Rwandese society and as a result retarding development.”

Basing on the research made by ministry of youth and ICT with Kigali Health Institute, Gilles Rukundo revealed that 52.5 percent of youth between 14 and 35 years of age did drugs at least once in their lives.

The research also showed that one person among the 15 youth boys and girls use drugs daily, one out of 13 youth (both sexes) which is equal to 7.46 percent in Rwanda is drug addicted while 4.88 percent is addicted to smoking.

In this measure laid in Nyanza district, residents are asked to inform the nearest authorities about the whereabouts of drugs, users and distributors.

To successfully eradicate drugs in Rwanda, seven committees will be used from higher authorities to the village level in Nyanza district. The committee members have to be trustworthy not related, and not government officials.