English
Kinyarwanda
Twelve police officers completed a three-week canine bonding and familiarization course on Friday, October 23, at the Canine Brigade headquarters in Masoro, Gasabo District.
The course was conducted by Rwanda National Police (RNP) canine instructors and experts from the Police Dogs Centre Holland (PDCH) in the Netherlands. It equipped the officers with the skills needed to work effectively with police dogs in security operations.
The training covered vehicle and luggage searches, scent wall exercises, and open-area searches for narcotics and explosives. The pass-out ceremony was presided over by the Commissioner for Operations and Public Order, Commissioner of Police (CP) George Rumanzi.
CP Rumanzi highlighted the Canine Unit’s role in maintaining public order and security, emphasizing that discipline and proper care of the dogs are essential to effective operations and the fulfilment of the Police mandate.
“It is not enough to be well-skilled. You have to be disciplined as well, and you have to take good care of these canines. For us to achieve the mandate of securing our people and our country, and for us to realize the return on investment, we have to take care of these dogs,” CP Rumanzi said.
He said RNP would continue strengthening its canine capabilities through further training and partnerships, including trainer-of-trainers courses to build local training capacity.
“You have demonstrated that we have really achieved a good level of training and skills, but training is continuous, and I'm happy to note that we shall be engaging our partners to have trainer-of-trainers courses as well,” he said.
ACP Faustin Kalimba, the Canine Brigade Commander, said the course aimed to equip officers with the standard skills and knowledge required for professional dog handling.
He thanked RNP leadership for its guidance and logistical support and commended the facilitators for sharing their expertise. He also urged the graduates to continue upgrading their skills and conducting research to keep pace with evolving security threats.
The training was part of the partnership between RNP and the Rwanda Airports Company (RAC), with experts from the Police Dogs Centre Holland providing specialized training for officers handling the newly acquired dogs.
