“The Federal Police Commission has been working day and night, seven days a week, 24 hours a day despite the harsh and awful weather condition; all eyes are on the Dam.”
By Daniel Tiruneh
Criminal investigation is an applied science which includes the study of evidences, used to recognize, detect and verify the guilty of an illicit. A whole criminal examination can consist of searching the interrogations, evidence gathering and protection and numerous approaches of examination.
As Ethiopia is undertaking various development projects in all corners of the country, the prevalence of peace and order across the nation is of paramount importance. The Federal Police Commission, in this regard, has been playing significant role in maintaining peace and security as well as mitigating any crime and theft in and around the construction site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam(GERD).
ABN spoke to Deputy Commissioner General Zelalem Mengiste, Federal Police Crime Investigation Bureau Head, on how the Bureau is working towards detecting and investigating any misconducts and crimes in the site.
Individuals are experienced in the area of crime scene investigation and evidence collection in the criminal justice system from the standpoints of law enforcement. Many argue that actions taken at the outset of an investigation at a crime scene can play a pivotal role in the resolution of a case. Careful, thorough investigation is key to ensure that potential physical evidence is not tainted or destroyed or potential witnesses overlooked.
Crime Investigation Bureau Head, Deputy Commissioner General with the Federal Police Commission, Zelalem Mengiste revealed that there has never been criminal case that the Bureau has dealt with since the commencement of the project. Nevertheless, he indicated that the Commission has undertaken investigation of some threats such as economic conspiracies, labor strike, mismanagement, corruption and attempts of destabilizing the site by insurgents.
Deputy Commissioner General Zelalem said, “We, in association with the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, are dealing with supervision and follow-up activities that are believed to have detrimental impact on the construction of the Dam.”
He also underscored that there are two things that could affect the construction process: The first being external forces backed by Sudan and Egypt, and the other one could be within the project implementation system such as embezzlement, sabotages and corruption.
“The Federal Police Commission has been working day and night, seven days a week, 24 hours a day despite the harsh and awful weather condition; all eyes are on the Dam.”
With regard to fundraising initiative, the Deputy Commission General noted that his Bureau has received “GERD Cup” from the Crime Investigation Bureau in order to facilitate and help raise sufficient amount of money from members of the Police for the construction of the Dam.
He said, “The Federal Police Commission has been working day and night, seven days a week, 24 hours a day despite the harsh and awful weather condition; all eyes are on the Dam.”
Zelalem described the Dam as follows: “The Dam is mine. As an Ethiopian I together with my family have bought bonds; I firmly believe that such mega projects are keys to pull our nation out of abject poverty.”
The main phase of the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Damis expected in July and August 2021 after seasonal rains fall in Ethiopia, by holding back water to fill its reservoir. The 6,450 MW hydropower project is being built on the Blue Nile, the Nile River’s main tributary, just 30km from Sudan’s border.
