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Kinyarwanda
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda Police forces have agreed to lay joint strategies to fight cross-border crimes and share policing best practices.
This was agreed during a meeting held at the Rwanda National Police headquarters in Kacyiru on March 3, and brought together the Police Chiefs and representatives from the four neighbouring countries.
Among the strategies agreed on by the four Police forces include conducting joint operations and training, exchange of criminals and information.
The Inspector General of Rwanda National Police (IGP), Emmanuel K. Gasana, who thanked his counterparts for honouring the invitation to jointly fight crimes, observed that “cooperation is a fundamental tool for regional law enforcers to ensure sustainable peace and security of the region.”
He said sharing of information and conducting tactical-joint operations will help to bring to justice criminals who, after committing crimes in one country flee to another.
“Criminals should not get safe haven in one of our countries,” he noted.
“Solutions to our problems are within us. We have the responsibility and capabilities and let us exploit them by supporting each other,” Gen. Kale Kayihura, the IGP of Uganda Police Force, said.
The Deputy Director General of RDC National Police, Raus Ngashi commended RNP’s commitment to bring about peace and security in the region and beyond.
“Effective cooperation is imperative in crime prevention and arrest of criminals who seek refuge in our countries after committing crimes in another,” the Director General of Burundi National Police, André Ndayambaje, said.
The four Police Chiefs agreed to meet in Goma, DRC later this year to cement the joint cooperation.
The RNP already has a memorandum of understanding with Burundi and Uganda Police forces and the getting the DRC on board is seen as another step forward towards apprehending criminals that could be hiding in either of these countries.
The four Police Chiefs and their delegations are in Rwanda to attend the two-day 3rd Sub-Saharan Africa International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference which kicked off on Monday in Kigali.
