Top government officials, representatives of civil society organisations, students and different dignitaries, yesterday, gathered at Rwanda National Police (RNP) Headquarters to join the Force in marking its sixteenth anniversary, dubbed Police Day.

The Minister for Internal Security, Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana, who presided over the Police Day thanked RNP for its dedication in ensuring public safety.

He emphasised the role of security in the development of a nation, adding that "Rwanda is where it is today because of dedicated men and women who work tirelessly to make the country safe.”

"We are safe today but we should ensure that the generations to come will be safe too. We can only achieve that through partnership and protection of children’s rights. We strongly condemn anyone who violates or abuses a child in anyway,” said Minister Harerimana.

He also condemned those who witness incidences of child abuse and refuse to report them, which is punishable by the law.

He recalled that Police was formed during the transitional government, as a force charged with maintaining public law and order.

"The date also falls within the 100 days of commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. This means the establishment of a well-structured, dedicated and professional law enforcement body was, designed to ensure no such thing as genocide would ever happen again in our country or elsewhere,” said Minister Harerimana.

Police Day also coincided with marking of the Day of the African Child – set aside to celebrate the African child, particularly in memory of the children who were massacred in Soweto, South Africa for protesting against the injustices of the apartheid era in 1976.

"In all these events, children were the victims; that’s why we must ensure such events never happen again. Children are the future leaders of our country,” the Minister said.

The Police Day marked the closure of week-long activities of the ‘Police Week’, which was held under the theme: "Stand up for Child Protection.”

The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana, said Rwanda’s journey to modern policing was the rationale in choosing the anniversary theme.

"We attribute our gains to collaborative efforts and support from several stakeholders and partners including, the government, private institutions and the citizenry,” said the IGP.

The last 16 years, he said, have enhanced the capacity of RNP both in human resource and equipment.

"These capabilities have enabled us through peace support missions like Haiti, Sudan, South Sudan, Liberia, CAR, Mali and Ivory Coast among others,” IGP Gasana said.

Wellars Gasamagera, the chairperson of Police Ambassadors, said: "The outreach activities of RNP have endeared the Force to the people and made policing much easier.”

"Today’s approach to policing is completely different from those that existed in Rwanda 22 years ago, where security organs did everything possible to instill fear in people as a policing strategy that created indifference between security organs and the people.”

Gasamagera further emphasised that, by RNP making people their partners, information is easily shared to avert crime, making policing easier.

In this year’s celebrations, pre-anniversary activities of the ‘Police Week’ concentrated on protection of children in all spheres, including drug abuse, gender based violence, human trafficking and road safety.

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