Bujumbura — Three ministers in charge of security met on 18 December to deal with the escalating trend of lawlessness in Burundi. The defence minister, Lt General Germain Niyoyankana, the Interior minister, Jean Kamana, and the security minister, General Alain Guillaume Bunyoni took measures toward curtailing movements of the police in public areas in the hopes of suppressing the surge of armed robberies committed by people in uniform.

Police are no longer allowed to wear their uniforms in pubs when they are not on duty. Because police elements have been implicated in various crimes, the population has lost its trust in them.

Another scandal is still in store as a recent census conducted among the police reveals that the number of men in uniform is less than the number that is on payroll. The results of this census have not yet been published. The census was aimed at establishing the numbers of those to stay in the police and those to be demobilized.

With regard to the rising trend of violence, the ministry of security announces that more than 150 policemen were arrested and about 100 persons will soon be dismissed from the police.

The performance of the police forces has been abysmal as many crimes have involved its members. Major Nsabimana, an agent of the national intelligence services, recently revealed that even the chiefs of his department are not completely innocent. Major Nsabimana is now at large after the police failed to arrest him in Rutana. The National Intelligence Services are now struggling to contain the effects that these revelations must bring about. The National Intelligence Services, however, have not sufficiently explained away these allegations. The NIS claims that Major Jean Bosco was no longer in their service since he was a convicted thief. They cannot explain to the population, however, how a person who was not longer in their service could have had a notice of permission for leave dating back to December 8 that was signed by them.