Ouagadougou: Engaged in a dynamic of social and economic transformation, Burkina Faso places discipline and respect for rules at the heart of its development project, in accordance with the vision of the President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traor©. Since the beginning of April, the municipal police have been applying community service (TIG) as a penalty for traffic violations, following several awareness-raising campaigns.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the National Road Safety Office (ONASER) has conducted several awareness-raising campaigns in markets, places of worship, during national events such as FESPACO, and wherever it could reach road users. Recently, officers from this organization, supported by the Police, were seen at various intersections on major roads in the capital, raising awareness about wearing helmets and respecting the highway code.
The use of community service comes at the right time to strengthen civic responsibility and curb the scourge of road accidents, which in 2022 caused 1,150 deaths and more than 15,000 injuries, according to ONASER statistics. The Director General of ONASER, Adama KOURAOGO, already recalled in 2021 the urgency of concrete and sustained action: “Statistics from the last three years show, on average, 1,000 deaths per year on the roads (…) The accident curve is struggling to decline.”
The sanction of community service constitutes an innovative response, less costly for the State, and better suited to the rehabilitation of offenders. It is part of the Popular Progressive Revolution (RPP), which advocates a return to the values of civic duty, discipline, work, and respect for public affairs.
This TIG measure, well received by citizens, especially parents, could be extended to other forms of uncivil acts and incivility: failure to comply with the ban on smoking in public places, urban insalubrity, drunk driving, using the telephone while driving, throwing rubbish in traffic, damage to public property, lack of respect for the elderly, etc.
The consolidation of the State requires the promotion of lasting patriotic commitment and the active participation of all in national construction.