Over 700 police officers complete refresher course

Rwamagana - At least 731 officers and men of Rwanda National Police ended a 3-month Unit Training course in Gishari Police School, yesterday. While officially closing the course, the Commissioner General of Police (CGP), Emmanuel Gasana, said that Police has to be trained time and again, to maximise performance.The Police boss said that the training equipped the officers, among others, with skills and knowledge to handle transnational and cross-border crimes. He said that the RNP as an institution charged with maintaining peace and security needs to undergo periodic refresher courses. He further revealed that the recent report from Ombudsman’s office cleared the police of corruption, after previous reports had ranked the force as one of the most corrupt institutions. “It is good that we no longer feature on the list of corrupt institutions. We cannot afford to be part of the evil we are charged to fight, we have to live by the police doctrines,” he said. “The best welfare you can give the police is first class training. The military and police science the officers have undergone is vital. There is need to revisit the laws and command we had years ago, to keep at par with trends.” Chief Supt. Francis Nkwaya, on behalf of the trainees said the training is going to help them work as one unit.He said that they were trained to work with an outstanding uniformity and promote the spirit of team work. “The skills gained will help police to work in a more organised and informed way. It allows for an important coherence and team work spirit, as opposed to individual operations,” he said. Police Constable (PC), Jovia Kabibi, one of the trainees, told The New Times the course has instilled discipline necessary, when dealing with the population. “The training has offered young police officers with the necessary experience to work on ground. Apart from the police science, we were enlightened on how to handle particular cases,” she said. The Unit Training course was attended by police officers from the central region of Kigali, and other regions of the country will follow suit. Ends