Police dismantle 245 groups of criminals in Burundi in 2017: minister

BUJUMBURA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Over 245 groups of criminals were dismantled in 2017, making the country peaceful, said Burundian security minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni on Wednesday when presenting the security ministry activity report for 2017.

"Throughout this year that we are ending, police made 12,675 search operations during which over 245 groups of criminals were dismantled. 132 firearms of different types were also seized during those operations," said Bunyoni in a press conference held in Burundian capital Bujumbura.

According to him, during those police search operations, 392 grenades and six mortar shells were also seized.

Bunyoni indicated that some sporadic acts of criminality were reported including acts of human trafficking, thefts in households and grenade explosions.

He added that a quantity of over 18 tons of hemp for smoking was destroyed while 16,000 balls of hemp were seized and 1,575 plants of hemp were destroyed.

He said the security situation of Burundi highly improved in 2017 compared with 2016, adding that criminality cases reduced from 400 to 277 and terror acts reduced from 143 cases in 2016 to 11 cases in 2017. Enditem