Rwanda National Police

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), CG Felix Namuhoranye, on Wednesday, January 29, took over as the new chairperson of the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) at its 26th Annual General Meeting in Kigali, taking over from his counterpart of Burundi, Brig. Gen Joseph Ninteretse.

He will lead the 14-member regional Police organization for a year, in realization of its mandate to promote, strengthen cooperation and joint strategies against all forms of cross-border and transnational organized crimes.

In his speech, CG Namuhoranye, while expressing gratitude to the outgoing chairperson, said that the region still faces policing and security challenges, pointing out that these challenges are stoppable.

"The most important thing is to maintain and enhance our unity of purpose, shared values and commitment to working together to realizing our organization’s mandate," CG Namuhoranye said.

He added that strengthened cooperation and close collaboration will further make his mandate more relevant to jointly achieve more milestones.

He reiterated the need for strategies to enhance inter-operability between EAPCCO and other regional, continental and international organizations.

"We need to come up with practical and real-time solutions to deal with contemporary security threats. We should become more agile, more innovative and more proactive," IGP Namuhoranye said.

Issues of terrorism, cybercrime, drug trafficking and human smuggling, among others, he said, can only be effectively dealt with, through prioritized practical actions; sharing timely information and intelligence, conducting joint operations, and ensuring that officers are well trained and equipped for the task.

The outgoing chairperson, Brig Gen Ninteretse, said that EAPCCO region must stand together in unity, share information, and expertise to effectively combat security threats.

"We cannot afford to work in isolation. Our police forces must collaborate beyond borders, transcending political differences, and focusing on the common goal of ensuring the safety and security of our citizens," IGP Ninteretse said.