Police downplay alarm over rise in Kigali crime

Kigali. The Rwanda National police has downplayed the outcry over the rise in cases of robbery in Kigali.

There has been an upsurge in cases of robberies around the city, where many people are mugged on their way home and robbed of their phones, money and other valuables, while some end up sustaining injuries during the attacks.

Benjamin Rugo had been waiting for his friend in a restaurant for hours, but when he called him, his phone was off, so he decided to go home. Just as he got home, the “missing” friend called, breathless and frantic.

“He told me that just as he was coming to meet me, three heavily built men appeared from nowhere and put him in chokehold, when he resisted, they beat him up and stole everything he had on him.”

Mr Rugo narrates that when he got the bad news, he decided to go visit his friend. But just as he got off the motorcycle taxi at his friend’s house, he was also attacked from behind.

“It’s bizarre to explain what happened to both of us, to find that we were both attacked just hours apart in different places. It shows s. I have heard of many other cases in different locations of Kigali, something needs to be urgently done,” he said.

While acknowledging the problem, Police Spokesman Theos Badege, said the cases were isolated and were neither high nor did they represent a worrying trend.

“We can’t say we have zero crime, these cases do happen, but looking at the security structures and measures in place, crime is under control, and we shall continue to see a decline,” he said.

ACP Badege added that much as there has been an upsurge in incidents of robbery in the past month or so, police had responded promptly, and were carrying out targeted operations and crime mapping to know where to concentrate. (NMG)