Crime in Rwanda

The main formal bodies are the Rwanda National Police (RNP), which handles prevention, patrols, first response, police complaints and an online crime form, and the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), which investigates crime and has specialist units for cybercrime, gender-based violence, human trafficking and drug trafficking. RNP operates five regional police units, 30 district police units and 69 police stations. Rwanda also uses Community Policing Committees (CPCs), Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing (RYVCP) and Inshuti z’Umuryango (IZU) for community reporting, safety awareness and prevention. These volunteer and community bodies do not have police or investigation powers. In 2023, Rwanda recorded 87,083 cases in the published top-ten crime statistics. Theft accounted for 31,285 cases, or 32.8%, and assault and battery for 24,816 cases, or 30%. Other listed categories were fraud with 5,852 cases, narcotic drugs with 5,692, child defilement with 4,978, use of threats with 4,265, harassment of a spouse with 3,865, breach of trust with 3,209, forged documents with 1,941, and damage or plundering of trees and crops with 1,180. The regional totals were 22,316 cases in the East, 20,906 in the South, 20,393 in Kigali, 13,816 in the West and 9,652 in the North. These figures describe reported or investigated cases rather than all incidents, because they do not measure the hidden amount of crime. RNP reported an overall 15.7% decrease in crime in 2025 compared with 2024, but the cited public information did not provide the corresponding absolute number. For immediate danger, call RNP on 112. RIB handles crime information and emergencies on 166. Domestic violence or gender-based violence can be reported on 3512, and child abuse on 116. Isange One Stop Centers can be reached on 3029. The RNP complaint channel is 3511 for alleged police misconduct, while 2040 handles dissatisfaction with RIB. These hotlines are toll-free. The RNP online form asks for the reporter’s name, the crime location, a phone number, an email address and the crime type. RIB’s CIMS, also called e-Menenyesha, supports online crime reports and searches for complaints, lost or stolen items, missing persons and stolen vehicles. Victims and witnesses can reach support through RNP, RIB, a health facility, a Community Health Worker, IZU, a family member, neighbour, local authority, court, prosecution service, the Rwanda Legal Aid Forum, an Isange One Stop Center or a qualified non-governmental organisation. Rwanda has 48 Isange One Stop Centers nationwide. Each has two safe rooms, and four centers have safe shelters. Their services can combine access to justice, psychosocial support, healthcare, shelter where available and community reintegration. The centers are designed to reduce travel and access barriers, coordinate services and reduce the risk that evidence will be altered. The reintegration assessment for gender-based violence is scheduled to take no more than one working week from first contact. Other support hotlines include 5798 for the Gender Monitoring Office, 3935 for the National Public Prosecution Authority, 9059 for the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, 3545 for the Ministry of Defence, 3736 for the Ministry of Justice and 711 for the National Child Development Agency. Legal advice and representation are available through the Ministry of Justice and its Access to Justice Bureau, known as MAJ, located in each of Rwanda’s 30 districts. Each district has three lawyers assigned to this service. MAJ provides free legal aid, legal advice and representation for poor or vulnerable people, including in gender-based violence cases, and may also provide mediation. Isange services are described as holistic support without a locally stated user fee. Rwanda does not have one publicly established general investigation deadline for all crime reports, so the responsible authority and the circumstances of the case affect the timetable. Digital crime includes phishing, vishing, smishing, mobile-money scams, fake profiles, malware, password theft, website defacement, security breaches, abnormal system behaviour and distributed denial-of-service attacks. The Rwanda Computer Incident Response Team (Rw-CSIRT), operated under the National Cyber Security Authority, handles technical cyber incidents; it is not a replacement for a criminal report to RIB Cybercrime. Report a cyber incident online, call 9009, email rwcsirt@ncsa.gov.rw or use the international number +250 734 440 852. Preserve messages, URLs, screenshots and transaction records in their original form. Do not use an infected device to make the report if another device is available. An identification document or an authorisation letter or power of attorney may be requested in some reporting situations. Multi-factor authentication, unique strong passphrases, current software, antivirus protection, secure Wi-Fi, privacy settings and financial-account alerts reduce exposure. Urgent messages, mismatched senders, poor grammar and suspicious links or attachments are common warning signs. Never disclose an OTP or other sensitive security information to an unsolicited contact. During end-of-year and holiday periods, theft, drunkenness-related violence, fraud and other violence may become more frequent. Everyday precautions should therefore cover pickpocketing, burglary, assault, fraud, drug-related crime, gender-based violence and child abuse. Report early, choose RNP or RIB according to urgency and the type of information, preserve evidence, and keep the CIMS or RNP reference details. Do not confront a suspected offender when doing so could increase danger. If a child or another person faces immediate danger, use the emergency or child-protection channel first. Recorded crime trends help describe public safety conditions, but they cannot establish that a particular street, household or individual has zero risk.