45 police officers from the department of fire brigade, anti terrorism unit and four staff members of Serena Hotel were Thursday awarded certificates of merit on fire fighting techniques and rescue.

Addressing the graduates at Gikondo Fire Brigade Station, the Deputy Commissioner General of Police, Stanley Nsabimana, lauded the US-based Saddleback Church Justice task-force for assisting the National Police in capacity building.

"We are grateful for the support of skills development and experiences we have gained from the task force. The trained officers will pass the skills onto others to eventually benefit the community,” Nsabimana observed.

According to Dan Goldsmith, Saddleback’s senior state investigator and justice task force team leader, the eight-day training for the fire fighters and criminal investigators on commercial and financial crimes; cost an estimated $40,000 and they will negotiate with the police to see other areas where the church can help.

"We are happy for the success of the training, the sharing of experiences of both sides and determination that marked this training,” Goldsmith remarked.

The training is part of the church’s PEACE plan that aims at equipping leaders who are devoted to helping the community.

Police constable Emerine Muhoza 24, one of the trainees serving in Counter Terrorism Unit, said that the training came in handy as far as her department is concerned.

"The very interesting part was the techniques of putting out fire and ways of rescuing the victims which was vital to my carrier and I would recommend everyone to attend the training,” Muhoza said.

The Peace Plan project is helping the country in education, health, poverty alleviation and other areas of development.

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