General Sylvano Kasongo, Kinshasa’s provincial police commissioner, discussed many topics during a parade organized on Monday 12 June. He notably mentioned the traffic jams caused by road harassment, the fight against crime in Kinshasa, but also police violence and staffing problems within the Congolese national police.
Addressing his elements, General Kasongo insisted on the fact that their mission was above all to protect people and their property, and not to extort money or property from citizens. He recalled that the population was their employer, which contributed to their pay and their equipment. He also underlined the role of the police in defending national integrity, particularly against armed groups in the East.
The provincial commissioner also mentioned the police blunders denounced by the people of Kinshasa, calling on the police to fulfill their mission with firmness, tolerance and patience. He denounced the practices of police officers who seize citizens’ telephones or extort money, and promised a new recruitment of elements as well as a rotation of police officers in the different communes of Kinshasa.
Finally, General Kasongo called on the police to show neutrality during demonstrations of a political nature, and to avoid brutalizing demonstrators or arresting politicians.
These statements come as the Congolese police are regularly accused of blunders and violence against citizens during political demonstrations, and that the country is experiencing problems of insecurity in certain regions, particularly in the East.