Rwanda National Police (RNP) and Namibian Police Force have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed to enhance cooperation in law enforcement areas. The pact was signed yesterday by the Inspector General of RNP, (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana and his Namibian counterpart Lt. Gen. Sebastian Ndeitunga. This was on the sidelines of the 84th Interpol General Assembly that started on Monday in Kigali. The agreement will formalise their cooperation against cross-border crimes such as cybercrimes, narcotics and human trafficking, terrorism and tracking of criminal fugitives among others. IGP Gasana commended Namibia for the partnership gesture, noting that instant action will follow the signing through joint planning, coordination and execution of join operations against crime. "We will walk the talk to ensure that this milestone in our cooperation comes to fruition. There is a lot that both of our police forces can achieve by learning best practices and homegrown solutions from each other, to ensure the safety and security of our people we are mandated to protect,” Gasana said. In his remarks, Lt. Gen. Ndeitunga said the two forces will share relevant information and expertise through joint operations and training, pointing out the Isange One Stop Centre as one of the unique initiative that the Namibian police are eager to copy from Rwanda. "Isange One Stop Centre is one of RNP’s great achievements. It is a unique homegrown solution that needs to be domesticated by African countries according to their own situations as regards combating gender-based violence,” he said. Isange, which operates in 17 hospitals across the country offers free medical, legal and psycho-socio services to victims of gender based violence and child abuse. "On top of that, we shall also focus on exchanging students and expertise in different fields of policing, so that we can together overcome persistent challenges in community safety and security,” Ndeitunga added. Cooperation is one of the RNP's main focus in pursuit for collective security in face of evolving security challenges backed by technological development. RNP be has previously signed MoUs with countries like Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Qatar and Turkey, among others and is an active member of regional and international policing organisations to team up against cross-border crimes.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw