KIGALI - The Rwandan and Singaporean police forces have agreed to boost their cooperation in the areas of capacity building and sharing of best practices.

The agreement was reached, early this week in Singapore, during a meeting between the Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, and his Singaporean counterpart.

Gasana was accompanied by the head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Christophe Bizimungu, and the head of the Traffic Police, Vincent Sano.

According to a statement from the High Commission in Singapore, the visit aimed at gaining experience from the Singapore Police Force and enhancing cooperation in a number of areas.

"They agreed to enhance cooperation mainly in the areas of capacity building. This will be done both at personnel and institutional levels as well as facilitating the exchange of information and other best practices,” reads the statement in part.

The capacity building programmes are expected to cover areas that include Criminal Investigations, Road Traffic and digitalised operations and policing.

The cooperation would also emphasise the use of new ICT tools by the Rwanda National Police, which they say would improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the force’s operations.

Speaking at the meeting, Singapore’s Commissioner of Police Force, Peter Ng Joo Hee, applauded the progress of Rwanda and its role in the security issues in the region, besides being one of the least corrupt countries in Africa.

Hee advised his Rwandan guests to invest in the right people and provide the right infrastructure needed for the force to realise its dream of becoming a leading police force in Africa.

The head of the Singaporean police force expressed interest at visiting Rwanda in the near future, in line with further strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

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