Police Say Crime Number in Addis Abeba on the Decline
By Sisay Sahlu
ADDIS ABABA – Crime rate in Addis Abeba is on the decline, said Police admitting illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition is still a source of concern for city’s security.
Addis Abeba police Commission’s nine month report shows a 19 percent decrease in offences between the second (4, 317) and third (3, 492) quarters of the current fiscal year.
Over 12, 300 criminal activities were registered in the city during the period, and majority of them were petty theft, burglary and pick-pocketing.
Police have hit 15,000 motorists who have been engaged in robbery and theft of public properties in various forms with several degrees of penalties.
However, Addis Abeba Police Commissioner Getu Argaw said illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition are still sources of concern threat to security.
The Report says 30 Kalashnikov rifles, 10,732 pistols, four machine guns, 18,974 Kalashnikov and machine gun bullets as well as close to 100, 000 pistol bullets were captured while being smuggled into the city.
Getu, while responding to questions rose from the journalists concerning the illicit inflow of firearms, said the mere effort of the police force wouldn’t stop every single crime.
“We need the active participation of the public in order to tackle the issue at grassroots level,” the commissioner said.
The Commission plans to increase the number its officers in the capital in a bid to effectively decrease criminal rates.
The city is currently being protected by over 19,300 police forces, and seeks to add 1300 new officers. They will join training camps in June, said Commissioner Getu.
