Malawian Police delegation visit RNP for study tour

{A delegation of four senior police officers from Malawi arrived in the country on Monday for a two day study tour.}

The team headed by the Malawian deputy Inspector General of Police in chargeMalawian Police delegation visit RNP for study tour

A delegation of four senior police officers from Malawi arrived in the country on Monday for a two day study tour.

The team headed by the Malawian deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations, Jose Rodney, also includes the heads of CID, research, and community policing of Malawi Police Force.

On Monday, they paid a courtesy call to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana at the Rwanda National Police headquarters in Kacyiru where they discussed a range of issues related to the RNP policing journey in the last 16 years of its existence, community policing, cross-border cooperation and capacity building, among others.

DIGP Rodney commended the resilience of RNP in policing a shattered post-genocide Rwandan society to make it Rwanda be where it is today.

“I take this opportunity to thank Rwanda National Police for the great policing work in a short spell to quell the inherited security challenges to make Rwanda an example and a safer country that Rwandans and foreigners feel proud at all time,” Rodney said.

This, he said, is one reason they chose Rwanda as their area of study to borrow such best policing ideas and strategies.

In his presentation to the delegation, shortly after meeting the IGP, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Damas Gatare, commissioner for community policing in RNP, said that the force was established in the year 2000 as a result of security sector reforms to meet the policing demands at the time.

He took them through the history of RNP, its policing journey in the last 16 years and its priorities in its pursuit to ensure a crime-free environment for all.

The priority areas include capacity building, community policing, crime prevention and reduction strategy, fighting corruption, international cooperation and peacekeeping and gender mainstreaming, among others.

“Community policing, among other priority areas of focus, was inevitable as a broad-line for policing and a constitutional duty for strong collaboration, accountability and a prerequisite to crime prevent and combat crime,” ACP Gatare said.

“In the last 16 years, RNP has grown into a modest, organized and fairly equipped force aspiring to become more efficient to meet its expectations; a lot of work still lies ahead but achievable given the government support and public ownership enjoyed by the force,” he added.

Role of public in policing

He further noted that the public have had a significant role to play over the years through community policing resulting into identifying and reporting any crime or anything that can affect their safety, which has facilitated timely response.

Community policing, he said, has had crucial impact in ensuring safer communities, resolving societal tensions and conflicts and ultimately preventing crimes.

“Partnership in all spheres of policing including public and private entities, anti-crime clubs, youth volunteers, community policing committees, use of media in anti-crime awareness, holding open day and cross-border cooperation, have been major tools that have facilitated RNP to achieve its mandate,” he said.