Police officers train on criminal investigation

30 police officers from across the country yesterday ended a week-long training in crime scene investigation. The officers, each from the 30 districts in the country were trained by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the American embassy in Kigali. The training is the first of its kind on the African continent. It was officially closed by Mary Gahonzire, the acting Commissioner General of Police at the Rwanda National Police headquarters in Kacyiru. The police officers who also received certificates of merit were trained on crime scene assessment and methods of evidence preservation. They were also trained as detectives, evaluation and submission of all types of forensic evidence, identification, recording and recovery of potential evidence from crime scenes. Gahonzire urged the officers to aim at improving the effectiveness of police in investigating crime scenes.Without mentioning the levels of crimes in the country, Gahonzire emphasized the need for the newly trained officers to put into practice what they learnt in helping to curb crime rates. “As qualified personnel you should get prepared to meet challenges in ensuring quality work,” she said. The US Ambassador to Rwanda, Stuart Symington, who also attended the function, called on the officers to ensure justice not only for the Rwandan community but for humanity the world over.“Justice is not for one person or country but for the whole world. If Rwanda has good justice systems, the whole world will benefit. Together we can succeed,” Ambassador Symington said. Ends