Last year, Rwanda National Police (RNP) helped hundreds of women and young people in Rubavu District, to form fishing, hog farming and poultry cooperatives.

These were the people, who were at the time engaged in various unlawful cross-border activities such as smuggling and illegal fishing.

During its month-long community development activities dubbed the ’Police Month’ to mark its 21st anniversary, in December last year, the RNP gave a financial support of over Rwf40 million to these cooperatives as part of its human security and crime prevention programmes.

Now, the force, in partnership with the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, and UNDP have donated nine computers and 150 smartphones to nine cooperatives supported by RNP, to facilitate them in record-keeping and communication.

The IT equipment were handed over this Monday, November 7, in Gisenyi, Rubavu District at the end of the three-week training for 205 members of the cooperatives.

During the three weeks, participants acquired computer skills and were enlightened on community policing.

While closing the training, Esther Kinda, the Director General for Innovation and Emerging Technologies in the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, thanked them for taking the right path to development.

She urged them to handle with care the given IT equipment and be an inspiration to others that are still engaged in illegal activities.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Jean Claude Kabandana, the director for human security in the RNP department of Community Policing, also urged them to inspire others to join cooperatives.

"You were organized in cooperatives because what you were doing was wrong and punishable by law. Now, you can see that there is always an alternative from unlawful practices. Be the voice against those who are still involved in lawlessness," SP Kabandana said.

AE News