Rwanda National Police

A group of 21 students from Hope Kids Academy on 12, December, visited Rwanda National Police to learn about how the force conducts its daily work to ensure safety and rule of law across the country.

They were received by Commissioner of Community Policing Department, Assistant Commission Police (ACP) Damas Gatare, who lectured them about the structure of Police and its steady response mechanisms in preventing crime.

Located in Nyarutarama, Hope Kids Academy is an international Turkish school which opened its Rwandan branch in 2012 under a Rwandan-Turkish partnership.

After making a presentation on the vision and role of Police in keeping law and order, ACP Gatare entertained questions from the students, who made inquiries on various topics, including; the role of police in preventing human trafficking and terrorism, as well as the evolution of RNP after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

“When children find interest in the work of Police at an early age, it is a sign of hope for the future, because they see the value of safety and security,” ACP Gatare said.

“As we safeguard our people and ensure that laws are respected, we can be rest assured that those who will follow in our footsteps will have the same passion and professionalism.”

Kaia Muhiza, a Grade 8 student at Hope Kids Academy, said that Rwanda is very safe and secure because Police is strict in ensuring that people respect the law.

“I think in Rwanda, people respect other people’s choices – and the environment is very conducive to do anything you want because it is safe and very secure. Today I learnt how it works, and it is mainly because Police is close to the citizens of Rwanda,” she said.

A science and chemistry teacher at the school, Omar Faruk Celebi, said that the reason for the tour was because the students had indicated a desire to learn about how Rwanda maintains its safety and how it avoids conflicts that affect very many other countries.

“The students indicated that they wanted to get details about the work and structure of Police – and how it manages to prevent crimes and make peoples’ lives better. This was a very fruitful tour that has definitely had a commendable impact on their knowledge,” he said.

The 2014-2015 World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), ranked Rwanda the most secure country in Africa and tenth on the global.

The same report ranked Rwanda the best country in Africa and 21st globally where citizens trust and rely on Police services to enforce law and order and the country with the least incidences of crime and violence that impose costs on businesses.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2014-2015 assesses the competitiveness landscape of 144 economies, providing insight into the drivers of their productivity and prosperity. The Report series remains the most comprehensive assessment of national competitiveness worldwide.

According to the international Gallup Poll dubbed “Global States of Mind”, released in 2012, Rwanda was among top ten countries where citizens feel safe, with a score of 92 percent from 1000 people interviewed people indicating they feel safe in Rwanda.

The crime rate in the country continues to drop year after year – with Police recording a significant drop of 5 percent in total crimes committed in 2014 compared to the previous year.