US, Police enhance partnership

The US has promised to continue supporting Rwanda National Police in its process of professionalizing the force. An official from the US embassy confirmed this yesterday in a telephone interview with The New Times. The announcement followed the visit by US Ambassador, Donald W. Koran, to the force’s headquarters in Kacyiru, to pay a courtesy call on the Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana. “We have had good working relationship with the police and will continue to support where necessary and possible,” the official said. The US has been supporting the police in capacity building, particularly in training in the fields of Inspectorate of Police Services, Criminal Investigations, Criminal Intelligence, and the special support for the Formed Police Units (FPU). The FPU serves under the United Nations’ Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and was first deployed in the disaster-prone Caribbean nation in March on the UN’s request, after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake which claimed over 200, 000 people and left millions homeless. About 160 officers, the second contingent under FPU2, are currently serving the UN mission in Haiti, providing protection to the UN staff, crowd control and help in aid distribution in internally displaced camps. The FPU1, which completed its nine-month’ mission returned home last night. Ambassador Koran, who was accompanied by Dancan E. Tye- special FBI Agent, commended the force for its international peace support in Haiti and other parts of the world. Currently, there are 416 police officers on mission in Ivory Coast, Sudan, Liberia and Haiti. Gasana thanked the US for its support and expressed the force’s willingness to support peace initiatives in troubled parts of the world. The discussions between Koran and Gasana, which were also attended by heads of commissions in the force, centred on the excellent cooperation between the US Embassy and the Police. bosco.asiimwe@newtimes.co.rw