The third intake of the Senior Command and Staff course started on Monday at the National Police College in Musanze District with a call on participants to exhibit discipline to make the course successful.

The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana, officiated at the launch of the highest course in Police studies, which brings together officers from nine regional countries.

"You are all aware of the major threats to our society. The globalisation trend and technological advancement have facilitated the creation of a range of new and emerging security threats to the law enforcers,” Gasana said.

"We are experiencing modern cybercrimes which are cross-border in nature. It is the Police that must ensure that the community they serve is free and safe from these threats.’’

The IGP noted that such training is a key tool for law enforcers to professionally fulfill their policing duties.

"This course will serve as your platform to broaden your knowledge on theories of peace and conflict management by different lecturers, while addressing issues related to peace and security,” Gasana added.

The IGP said sub-Saharan African countries need to work together to address security challenges through what he called south-south cooperation.

Course outline

The one-year course offers strategic leadership and Master’s programme in Peace Studies and Conflict Transformation offered in partnership with the Centre for Conflict Management of the University of Rwanda-College of Arts and Social Science.

It combines Police components, which include ‘operational staff work of police’ offered by Rwanda National Police, ‘strategic leadership and management’ (level seven certificate), offered by the UK-based Bramshill Police College.

Cyprien Gatete, the commandant of the College, said the overall objective of the course is to produce officers with the required analytical and communication skills that reflect professional policing competences by all standards.

Lt. Col. Samson Lukwasa, from South Sudan, said the course will empower them acquire high level skills which will not only help police in the world’s youngest country to operate professionally but also work with regional countries and the rest of the world to deal with sophisticated crimes.  

The students were selected from senior officers from nine African countries of South Sudan, Namibia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Gambia, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya and hosts Rwanda.