Community policing in a post-conflict society: a case study of post -genocide Rwanda

Abstract

This is a study of community policing in a post conflict society based on the case of Rwanda in the aftermath of the genocide. The study sought to investigate the conditions that led to the adoption of community policing approach in Rwanda and the process of implementing the program. The study also evaluated the effectiveness of community policing model in resolving the security problems of the day. The study has established that indeed community policing as applied in Rwanda has registered significant successes in dealing with unique problems such as insurgency which would have proved insurmountable if contemporary approaches had been applied. It was also established that a holistic approach to seeking solutions to security problems, being proactive and adopting community solutions proved more effective than the bureaucratic approaches. Community policing approach provided solutions to complex problems such as the delivering of justice to the large numbers of perpetrators of genocide and hence providing a foundation for state reconstruction.