BY-LAWS passed by local authorities should not hurt people, like laying multiple levies and charges, the government has declared.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa issued this caution when opening a working session for RCs and regional administrative secretaries, directing regional commissioners to supervise adoption of recommendations of the Criminal Justice Commission formed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

The workshop is aimed at enabling the regional administrators with clear understanding on improvements expected in the criminal justice procedure, as regards commission recommendations which do not need new laws.

He said that President Samia has worked hard to ensure that there is smooth access to justice, thus forming a special commission to investigate the situation and come up with recommendations.

Regional administrators and other government executives need to have enough understanding on the matter for them to supervise implementation of the recommendations, he said.

Citizens have complained a lot about the challenge of some bylaws which are formed in regions, districts, as they often contravene major laws, like charges initiated by councils on billboards, parking as well as supervision of road use, he pointed out.

Other issues are land conflicts; abusive use of power in conducting arrests, as well as wasteful conduct of taking security detail and scores of officials in official tours. This prevents from expressing what ails them for fear of exposure by entourage members, he said.

Regional secretariats need to allocate buildings and other infrastructures for criminal justice institutions in the new districts being established, he said, noting that a number of such areas lack criminal justice services like the police and prisons.

The public faces challenges in accessing such services either by walking or travelling for long hours, he said.

Dr Festo Dugange, the PO-RALG deputy minister, said the department will oversee the implementation of directives and instructions given during the working session to ensure President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s desire to see justice is accessed by the public is achieved.

Former chief justice Mohammed Othman Chande, the commission chairman, said the commission’s report had 333 recommendations on the improvement of the performance of the criminal justice institutions in various areas.

He said statistics show that crime was rising every year and that major efforts have been placed to combat crimes instead of identifying the causes and preventing incidents, pointing at the preparation of a national strategy to identify and prevent crimes.

Agenda items listed for the session include building understanding on the commission’s recommendations, building understanding on the implementation and follow-up by leaders and executives, plus adherence to professionalism, ethics and combating corruption to ensure efficiency in the rendering of justice.