Inside the ‘Police Book’

On July 31, Rwanda National Police (RNP) launched its maiden policing volume – The Police Book – as it continues to draw a modern policing line to further counter contemporary security challenges. The book titled “Policing a Rapidly Transforming Post-Genocide Society: Making Rwandans Feel Safe, Involved and Re assured” was launched under the theme “20 Years of Partnership in Policing.” The book which has six chapters traces the policing history in Rwanda and role of leadership in shaping Rwanda National Police. “Rwanda National Police has come a long way in policing a shattered post-genocide society. This book marks a milestone in RNP, and its launch could not have come at a better time in the history of our country than this, when we are celebrating 20 years of liberation,” the Inspector General of Police Emmanuel K. Gasana, said. “This book illustrates the policing in different timings of our country’s history, documents lessons learnt and tells a good story of the relationship between effective policing and leadership Rwandans have enjoyed over the past 20 years,” he added. The RNP was formed after merging gendarmerie National, communal and judicial police. The idea to merge the three institutions was to get rid of the duplication of functions that had hitherto bureaucratized law enforcement and alienated law and order organs from the rest of the population. Previous security organs, including the police force of the time, went off its mandate and didn’t value the people they were mandated to protect and treated the general public differently depending on their ethnicity and region of origin, and the public viewed them as their enemy, which affected the governance system that made the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi inevitable. After the establishment of RNP in June 2000, the IGP said, the force “immediately” redefined the vision and reviewed its mission to address the rapid transformation in the changing environment. “Today, we experience modern, organised, sophisticated, transnational and digital crimes. There are growing alliances of criminal organizations whose complex actions have gradually expanded their scope at continental and international levels. Confronted with these challenges, the RNP has outlined ten key priorities to fit into the strategic framework,” he explained. The RNP priority areas include capacity building, force discipline, crime reduction strategy and intelligence-led policing. Others are community policing, international cooperation, anti-corruption mechanisms, e-policing and welfare and infrastructure development. He also lauded the role played by government and private institutions and individuals in the realization of the book. He also thanked development partners including One-UN-Rwanda, Belgium Technical Cooperation (BTC), Germany Technical Cooperation (GIZ) and the Netherlands embassy in Rwanda for their contribution in the new proactive policing regime. The book also talks future policing challenges and capabilities required to match with those challenges. The launching exercise also included an exhibition on the evolution of Policing in Rwanda from the pre-colonial times through the post-independence and post-genocide Rwanda till today. RNP also awarded His Excellency President Paul Kagame with‘Order of Honor Medal.’ The ‘Order of Honor Medal’ received by the Head of Government, Right Honorable Anastase Murekezi on behalf of the President, is the highest RNP award given to an individual for an outstanding leadership in shaping the force.