President Paul Kagame, on May 11, officiated at the pass-out of the 7th intake of 462 Police ‘Officer Cadets’, who successfully completed a one-year course at the Police Training School (PTS) Gishari in Rwamagana District.
In a colourful ceremony attended by parents, relatives, friends and government officials, the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Rwanda Defence and Security Forces promoted the graduands, who include 51 females and 7 pilots, to the rank of ‘Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP).’
President Kagame thanked the commissioned officers for the discipline and the zeal to serve their country adding that “this marks the beginning of your task ahead” to showcase their will, ability, knowledge they acquired and what Rwandans expect from them.
He reminded them that security is a priority for the nation, alongside development and well-being of Rwandans which falls under their primary responsibility as national police.
“You are not the first; you are joining others to work together for the good of the country as required.
“Rwandans must be able to take their security and safety for granted and the Rwanda National Police is one of those important institutions to ensure that Rwandans can take their safety and security for granted, it’s a must and you have been trained to exactly ensure that that is the case,” said the President.
President Kagame related development to safety of Rwandans and noted that there is no way Rwandans could run their business effectively without the police as a security and law enforcer.
“The skills acquired in such training should give Rwandans hope for their security, protect them from any harm, and ensure respect of the law. Being secure should be a right,” he said.
The President also added that, lately the mode in which crimes committed in communities by either Rwandans or from across border are becoming very sophisticated which requires that those charged with ensuring security of Rwandans be “trained enough to ensure that their skills match with time to respond to crimes that are facilitated by technology, and that’s why such training is a must to get to that level.”
“Training or equipment can’t be enough. There is need for training, knowledge, equipment but all these are built on discipline.
“When you are used to a safer environment, even a minor case is seen as a security threat. Let us get used to sustainable security to prevent even the so called minor cases.”
He commended RNP for the “good and visible work” it has done and continue to do to ensure safety and security both in and outside the country where they are called to conduct peacekeeping operations.
During the event, President Kagame awarded Jean de Deau Nsengiyumva, Jean Paul Niyonsaba and Scovia Kuramukobwa in that order, as the three exceptionally officer cadet performers.
The Commandant of PTS, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Denis Basabose noted that the former Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and civilians have been equipped with “necessary skills” adding that the time they spent on the course has been an “investment for you and the institution in pursuit of better performance.”
The graduands were equipped with skills in leadership, command, development and varied policing requirements essential to police professionalism.
Other topics covered during the course of the training that was officially launched on April 21, last year, are community-based policing, law, Peace Support Operations, fitness and paramilitary, road safety, gender issues, internal security, routine and operational staff work, ICT, Human Rights and disaster response and management among others.
“RNP has the mandate to safeguard the rule of law and provide a crime-free environment for all. This cannot be achieve without the support of the people you serve and their willingness to cooperate with us depends very much on how we conduct in our day-to-day business. Always be just and demonstrate a high level of professional behavior while responding to the society’s needs,” ACP Basabose said.
PTS is one of the three schools established by the Rwanda National Police in its pursuit to build capacity of personnel with required knowledge and skills in line with the modern policing demands.
Others are National Police College (NPC) and Counter Terrorism Training Centre in Musanze and Bugesera districts respectively.
In 1995 the school started as Communal Police Training’ centre and later in 2000, when the Rwanda National Police was established, it was upgrade to a Police Training School as RNP embarked on capacity building through training as a major tool for contemporary policing .
PTS has grown into a Regional Centre of Excellence to train not only Rwandans but also officers from the region.
Currently, 14 Allied Students from South Sudan, Uganda and Namibia are attending the eighth intake that was launched early this month.
PTS now shelters Cadet and Basic Police Course wings, Peace Support pre-deployment Training Centre, Gishari Integrated Polytechnic (GIP) as well as police Logistics school.
It also conducts other specialized courses in areas of criminal investigation, gender based violence and road traffic, refresher courses among others. It also accommodates one of the 12 health centres established by RNP in various parts of the country as part of its initiatives to participate and support social and health development and human security activities in the country.
GIP, on the other hand offers diploma and other vocational training programmes to both Police officers and civilians in plumbing, electricity, construction, ICT, mechanical engineering, among others.
Other than academic and training programmes, the school also has a motor vehicle inspection center and serves vehicles owners in the eastern region.
The Peace Support Pre-deployment centre, on its part gives peacekeeping skills to both police officers and civilians from Rwanda and beyond, as per the UN standards. To date, Police officers from 13 countries in the region have so far attained peacekeeping courses at the centre.
