The Rwanda National Police (RNP) has embarked on training more Police officers under the Interpol initiative dubbed ‘Smuggling Training and Operations Programme (STOP)’ which seeks to improve management of borders against trans-national crimes such as human trafficking.

 Fifteen Police officers from the National Central Bureau (NCB) Kigali, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Crime Intelligence, yesterday concluded a two-day ‘Training of Trainers (ToT)’ under STOP, who will in turn train their colleagues in border security management systems, especially against smugglers and human traffickers.

The training is organised by RNP in partnership with the international Police organisation – Interpol.

It is conducted by a Rwandan expert, Chief Supt. Jean de Dieu Gatabazi, attached to Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Tony Kulamba, Commissioner for Interpol, while officiating at the opening of the course, said transnational crimes such as smuggling and human trafficking pose a serious challenge to the country.

"The world is now faced with a challenge of trans-national crimes and issues of people smuggling and human trafficking are no longer hearsay in our society but part of our problem, which we should move faster to counter,” ACP Kulamba said.

He highlighted hard labour, sexual slavery or exploitation and drowning for the case of those who are smuggled or enter western countries through waters, as one of the dangers associated with human trafficking.

He challenged the trainees to take the course seriously to help combat cross-border crimes through the use of Interpol secure global communication tool – I-24/7.

The tool connects all law enforcement agencies in Interpol member countries and allows investigators access Interpol’s range of criminal databases to search and cross check data on suspected criminals or wanted persons, stolen and lost travel documents, stolen motor vehicles, fingerprints, DNA profiles, stolen administrative documents and stolen works of art.

The training offers professional skills to the officers to detect false documents or imposters, facilitates real-time exchange of message and police data and screening of passengers for stolen and lost travel documents in order to identify wanted persons or those travelling on stolen or fraudulent travel documents, among others.

The training is in line with an agreement signed between Interpol and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on March 5, last year on border security, to combat human trafficking and smuggling.

The agreement formalises the working relationship between the two organisations.

Key elements include information exchange relating to travel fraud, border management technology and operations, capacity building and training for police and migration officials, and implementing joint projects to address human trafficking and smuggling.

"Rwanda has invested much in border security by establishing I-24/7 tool at all major border posts and this training is meant to help improve the quality of border managers using this tool; It’s a combination of human and technological factor,” ACP Kulamba explained.

This Interpol communication tool has been vital in recovering stolen goods, including vehicles, money and rescuing trafficked individuals.

Late last year, NCB-Kigali rescued two Rwandans including a female student who had been trafficked to Zambia. A Ugandan girl was also intercepted at Kigali International Airport as she was being trafficked to Asia.

At least 153 cases of human trafficking were registered in Rwanda since 2009, 90 per cent of them females and 82 per cent of them aged between 18 and 35.

About five vehicles stolen from neighbouring countries were also intercepted in Rwanda, and through information exchange, four drug traffickers, three Rwandans and a Ugandan travelling to Belgian with a British passport were intercepted at Kigali international airport with 7.4 kilogrammes of cocaine.

Last month, Interpol Kigali also recovered $110, 000 that had been stolen from a businessman in Uganda and transferred to Rwanda.