Police inaugurates Peace Support Centre

RWAMAGANA – The Rwanda National Police (RNP) on Monday inaugurated the Peace Support Operation Training Centre at Gishari Police Training School in Rwamagana District.The centre will facilitate RNP peacekeeping programmes, according to the force.The centre has three blocks built with the support of German InternationalCooperation Agency (GIZ).During the event, GIZ also handed over to Police two vehicles, which will facilitate the force in its peacekeeping training activities.GIZ is one of Police’s major partners, with support in several programmes such as forensic science in photography, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and traffic policing.Valence Munyabagisha, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security, who presided over the event, commended GIZ for its continued support to the Police.“GIZ has been fundamental in professionalising the force. The cooperation focuses not only on making the people living in Rwanda feel secure, reassured and involved, but also to sustain its force in peacekeeping missions,” he said.The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Stanley Nsabimana, appreciated the long-standing cooperation between the Rwanda National Police and GIZ under the latter’s programme to strengthen Police structures in Africa.Nsabimana noted that RNP had invested much in professionalising the force in order to be able to deal with emerging crimes.“A professional and formidable police force is what we push for…to deal with cross-border crimes, human and drug trafficking, as well as cyber crimes, among others. Peace and security is a foundation for sustainable development home and abroad,” he said.Rwanda maintains 470 police peacekeepers, including 130 women, in Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and Liberia.