Rwanda, Tz Police strengthen ties

A delegation of eight senior police officers from Tanzania was in the country for a one day study tour and to explore areas of cooperation. The visit was aimed at further strengthening cooperation between the two forces.The tour follows talks by police chiefs from the two countries during the just concluded Police Command Post Exercise (PCPX) where they agreed to enhance cooperation and exchange best practices in the process of professionalising regional police forces.The visit also aimed at exploring areas of cooperation, ahead of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two police forces.Addressing the delegation at the Police headquarters, the Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, said Rwanda National Police is committed to fighting cross-border crimes. He, however, said that to be successful, the campaign against trans-border and organised crimes requires cooperation among regional forces.“Criminals are so active which requires joint operations, information sharing and capacity building of our forces to detect and arrest law breakers.” After being briefed on RNP activities, the delegation toured several facilities such as Dispatch Centre, Police Ethics Centre, Traffic Police and Joint Operation Centre (JOC) that coordinates all security organs in the country.Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, Thobias E.M. Andengenye, one of the delegates, said there was need for the two forces to enhance cooperation and share experiences to be prepared for emerging crimes.“There is a lot to learn from Rwanda, especially on mechanisms to prevent crimes,” said Andengenye, who is also the Chief of Administration and Resource Management of the Tanzanian Force.