Road accidents reduced in number due to police-citizens cooperation

The Police chief of the traffic police CIP Emmanuel Kabanda told the Isango star radio station that since the inception of the new  road safety regulations, road accidents have remarkably reduced in number and in victims due to the cooperation between road users and the traffic police agents.

The journalist Albert Twizeyimana  from the Pax Press wandered whether the reduction of the road accident resulted from the fear of drivers to be punished or whether it resulted from the understanding of the usefulness of the road safe use. He however, expressed his appreciation for the observable careful use of both drivers and pedestrians.

Among the guests was the lawyer Uwayo Jephta who criticized the way traffic police agents mistreated drivers when they withhold their driving permits while the courts are the only institutions entrusted to do so.

Lawyer Uwayo explained that some of the traffic police agents behave in a way that is susceptible of creating bribery as sometimes drivers adopt to paying the amount of money instead of the loosing their driving permits.

For him, this is unlawful and should be avoided. CIP Emmanuel Kabanda underlined the fact that Police as an institution does not allow nor allocate its agents to behave in a way that compromises neither them nor the institution.

At the other side, SIP Kabanda said that police agents are in legal stand to arrest anyone unwilling to obey to the law. If someone disobeys to the road safety regulations, the Police agents can take measures to arrest him/her according to law. The participants discussed about the role played by media as to mobilize the general public about the new regulations for road safety.

Albert Rudatsimburwa said that media actors have done remarkable work in covering issues relating to the road safety. CIP Kabanda underlined the importance 0f both media and locals in combining efforts aimed at the reducing the road accidents.

The role of media is remarkable and should be increased as to  keep reducing the number of accidents and the victims , SIP Kabanda Emmanuel said.

Twizayimana urged for the increase of Police spokespersons to all  the levels of local administration so that information  and communication might be quick and effective. At the international level, the participants discussed about the recent escalation of violence and diplomatic crisis between EU-USA and Russia concerning the involvement of Russians in Ukrainian internal affairs.

Both Lawyer Jeptha and Twizeyimana said that Ukrainians are  the most concerned with matters relating to their  own self-reliance. They urged the international community to withstand with Ukrainian people for the cause of their nation.

This weekly show aims at  upgrading the debating spirit of Rwandans about issues that have been the news headlines in the recent days.

It is under the supervision of Institut Panos Europe and ARJ( Association Rwandaise des Journalistes). UM– USEKE.RW