Rwanda National Police (RNP) and Kenya National Police Service have signed a memorandum of understanding to formalise their cooperation against cross-border crimes.

 The agreement was signed on Friday in Naivasha, Nairobi, by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana and his Kenyan counterpart, Joseph K. Boinnet.

This was at the sideline of 15th meeting of the ministers responsible for Police in the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) member countries.

The signing was witnessed by Kenya’s cabinet secretary for interior and coordination,  Joseph Ole Nkaiserry, and Rwanda’s Ambassador to Kenya, James Kimonyo.

Under the partnership, the two Police institutions agreed to cooperate in areas of planning, coordination and execution of joint operations against transnational crimes                                                                                                         like terrorism and drug trafficking, among others.

The two forces will also share information and expertise through joint operations and training, mutual assistance, road safety operations, development and exchange programmes.

They will also undertake professional, career development and other specialised policing courses.

Rwanda National Police spokesperson CS Celestin Twahirwa said the two  police institutions have been enjoying good working relations, adding that the agreement comes to formalise the existing cooperation.

"Rwanda and Kenya police forces have been working together in fields of training, information exchange, arrest of suspected criminals and recovery of stolen items. This partnership will ensure that we continue this noble course towards sustainable regional peace and security,” Twahirwa said.

"Rwanda National Police understands that in the face of the current policing challenges facilitated by globalization and technology, it would be impossible for a single police institution to stand alone against such, so cooperation is very important,” he added.

Kenyan police officers have attended the last three Senior Command and Staff Course intakes at the National Police College in Musanze District while about ten Kenyan stolen vehicles have been recovered in Rwanda in the last two years and handed over to their owners.

"The police cooperation  framework will facilitate joint undertakings for mutual benefit. Through such cooperation, criminals running from one of the two countries to hide in the other, or using one country as a base to conduct illegal and criminal activities in another, are now unlikely,” Twahirwa added.