In other, populated areas, most notably Bujumbura Rurale, the FNL effectively set up parallel administrations, in which they "patrolled" and at times arrested suspected criminals and meted out justice.[16] Residents also approached the FNL for conflict resolution. Police in these areas were also reluctant to pursue FNL members who committed crimes.[17] One official told Human Rights Watch, “The police don’t really do much about [the FNL]... they’re afraid to get involved. The police and army are afraid to circulate in the [hills] at night. They stay near their positions.”[18] The result has been a contradictory system in which crimes by armed combatants have often gone unpunished, while police and their proxies have subjected civilian members and supporters of the FNL—who make for easier targets—to beatings, arbitrary arrests, and other abuses.