The Commander General of Carabinieri (Italian Police), Gen. C. A Giovanni Nistri, on Monday, visited Rwanda National Police general headquarters in Kacyiru where he held talks with Inspector General of Police Dan Munyuza.
Carabiniere is the National Gendarmerie of Italy, which polices both military and civilian populations.
Munyuza and Nistri discussed the existing cooperation modalities of enhancing relations between the two police forces under the framework of a bilateral agreement signed in January 2017.
Under the bilateral cooperation agreement the two policing institutions agreed to partner in counter-terrorism, public order management, traffic and road safety, peace support operations, aviation security, border security and cybercrime investigations, among others.
The meeting was also attended by the Italian Ambassador to Rwanda, Domenico Fornara, the Italian Military attaché to Rwanda, and Rwanda’s deputy IGPs; Felix Ntamuhoranye, of Operations, and Juvenal Marizamunda, of Administration and Personnel, among others.
Speaking at the meeting, Gen. Nistri observed that emerging global security challenges require international cooperation and that "strong commitment to bilateral relations is the key to successful policing responsibilities”.
He said that Carabinieri remains committed to enhancing the collaboration between the two countries’ forces, adding that his presence in Kigali is a "show of commitment” to the implementation of the cooperation pact.
"The security threats necessitate equipping the police with the military capabilities to make appropriate interventions,” he said, adding that sharing expertise and information is important in fighting the current trend of transnational crimes.
He noted that the concept of stability policing take into account the respect for gender, diversity, ethics, discipline and observation of human rights.
Munyuza said that cooperation in policing is one of RNP’s key priorities in the face of the emerging security challenges.
Under the existing MoU between RNP and Carabinieri, he said, Rwandan police had greatly benefited from the knowledge and experience of their Italian counterparts.
Munyuza said such engagements will go a long way in fast-tracking the implementation of bilateral ties.
"Over 300 of our officers have been trained in different areas such as traffic and road safety, aviation security, public order management, counter terrorism, police dog handling, special operations and environmental protection, among others,” said Munyuza.
The Peace Support Training Centre, under the Police Training School (PTS) Gishari, is being upgraded as part of the partnership framework between RNP and Carabinieri.
The visiting Italian police chief later paid homage to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at Kigali Memorial Centre-Gisozi whe he toured a museum and laid a wreath.
He also visited various training facilities and environmental protection efforts.
Gen. Nistri also toured various RNP facilities, including the Counter-Terrorism Training Centre (CTTC) in Mayange, and was expected to visit National Police College (NPC) in Musanze District.
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