The Tanzania Police Force, through the Community Policing Unit in Dodoma Region, has intensified efforts to protect children and prevent crime by providing safety and gender-based violence (GBV) awareness education to pupils and teachers at Mazengo Primary School.
The initiative was part of activities to commemorate 20 years of Community Policing in Tanzania, which seeks to strengthen cooperation between the Police Force and communities in preventing crime and maintaining public safety.
The education was delivered by the Acting Dodoma Regional Community Policing Officer, ASP Regina Mtana, during a visit to the school.
The Police Community Policing Unit also joined teachers and pupils in a cleaning exercise as part of the anniversary activities.
ASP Mtana said Mazengo Primary School was selected because of its importance to the community and its long-standing contribution to educating Tanzanians who have gone on to serve the country in various capacities.
She said effective crime prevention requires strong cooperation between the Police Force and the public because many crimes occur within communities.
“Community Policing brings policing closer to the people because our primary responsibility is to ensure that communities are safe. We cannot eliminate crime without working together with citizens,” ASP Mtana said.
She explained that Community Policing focuses on preventing crime before it occurs by educating the public, helping communities identify potential risks and encouraging citizens to report criminal activities and suspected offenders.
ASP Mtana said children are an important part of the community and can be particularly vulnerable to violence, including gender-based violence. She therefore called for continued safety and crime-prevention education in schools.
She urged pupils to avoid potentially dangerous areas, particularly at night, and encouraged them to report any incident of violence they experience or witness to trusted adults and the relevant authorities.
Kikuyu North Ward Councillor Heri Huseini Beji thanked the Police Force for continuing to engage communities through safety education, saying the approach had helped residents become more aware of crime risks.
He said ward police officers have been working with residents through public education programmes, enabling children and adults to better understand potential risks and how to respond to them.
Councillor Beji also acknowledged the contribution of Minister for Minerals and Mtumba Member of Parliament Anthony Mavunde to the development of Mazengo Primary School and the wider community.
He said Mavunde had supported various development initiatives at the school, including improvements to classrooms and construction of additional classrooms, among other services.
Mazengo Primary School Headteacher Rehema Nkungu said the Police Force's education programme had contributed to positive behavioural changes among pupils and improved their understanding of personal safety.
She said pupils were increasingly able to identify different forms of violence that could occur at home, school or within the wider community and knew where to seek help and report such incidents.
“We sincerely thank the Police Force for being at the forefront of helping to protect children through safety education and the Gender Desk,” Ms Nkungu said.
She added that older pupils were also helping to pass the knowledge they had acquired to younger children and their families, creating a wider culture of safety awareness within the community.
Pupils who participated in the programme said the education had helped them understand their rights, recognise the risks associated with gender-based violence and identify appropriate channels for reporting abuse.
They said they had also learned about the wider consequences of gender-based violence, including early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and disruption to education and children's long-term development.
The pupils pledged to share the knowledge with younger children and their families to help strengthen awareness and prevent violence.
The 20th anniversary of Community Policing is being commemorated under a theme promoting cooperation between communities and the Police Force in maintaining peace, security and national unity.
Public education remains one of the key approaches being emphasised during the anniversary celebrations as part of efforts to prevent crime, protect vulnerable groups and build safer communities.
