BUJUMBURA April 18-9th (ABP) – The security situation has generally been good throughout the country, despite some acts of crime and terrorism, said the Minister of Public Security Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, on Tuesday April 17, 2018 during the presentation of his Ministry’s achievements of the first quarter of 2018.
Minister Bunyoni said that security is generally good compared to the fourth quarter of 2017, despite some acts of crime and terrorism consisting of killings, grenade throws mostly related to land conflicts, suicide and infanticide, kidnapping, thefts, traffic accidents, fraud, sales and consumption of prohibited beverages, and cases of scams.
Mr. Bunyoni said that with regard to this crime, his Ministry has taken proactive and reactive actions, through its operations of prevention, intervention and legal proceedings. He cited more than 5,346 searches carried out and which resulted in arrests and seizures of 112 grenades and 37 rifles, and
other weapons. He pointed out that more than 4,894 cases were opened by the police, of which 3,797 were closed and transmitted to the prosecutor’s office, the destruction of 155, 200 liters of prohibited drinks, the seizure of 392.5 kg and 6,336 balls of hemp, as well as the uprooting of 413 plants of this plant.
The Minister of Public Security also spoke about the actions taken in the fight against fraud, in the improvement of road safety where the police could carry out more than 2,773 improvised controls and inflicted 479,014,000 BIF of fine to violators of the Highway Code. More than 748 practical tests and 770 theoretical tests were passed for obtaining biometric driving licenses, of which more than 6,946 were given to their applicants, said Bunyoni.
With regard to other achievements, he mentioned the destruction of 620 weapons seized, surrendered or recovered; intervention and rescue activities for people affected by landslides; the destruction of explosive devices; participation in extinguishing fires; and the putting up of the contingency plan in various provinces of the country by the national platform for risk prevention and disaster management.
Mr. Bunyoni further stated that the National Police is now equipped with maritime rescue boats and qualified staff, including divers, pedestrian cameras to improve police performance, enhance professionalism and transparency, as well as stars for marine safety.
The Minister of Public Security said that the General Police Inspectorate carried out 22 field raids to inquire about the quality of the services provided by the police to obtain documents mainly from their applicants. To that end, he meant that the quality of all police stations, police units and others is positively appreciable. He therefore congratulated the National Police Hospital for hosting and treating 9,244 patients, noting that the hospital currently has a hemodialysis machine. Minister Bunyoni said that in the second quarter of 2018, his Ministry is committed to fighting crime and terrorism in all theirs forms. He will focus his attention on the fight against crime whose children are recently victims and the security referendum vote scheduled for next May, he said.
