Police training in Rwanda

The School of Social Sciences & Law had recently success with a £83,000 bid to the British Council under the England-Africa Partnerships in Higher Education (EAP). The project is ‘Capacity Building for Degree-Level Initial Police Training in Rwanda.

The EAP scheme attracted hundreds of applications but only ten were selected for funding. Our project aim to develop a mentoring relationship between staff from Teesside, who are currently involved in delivering police training for two UK police forces, and staff from the Kigali Institute of Education (Rwanda), the National University of Rwanda and the Rwandan Police.

Our Rwandan partners are currently developing degree-level police training in Rwanda, with a particular emphasis on sensitive and community policing. This is seen as crucial, within both Rwanda and major international agencies such as the United Nations, to developing a nation emerging from a deadly inter-group conflict in the 1990s and suffering from chronic levels of poverty.

The Rwandan police training programmes are the first of their type within East Africa and may be replicated across the region as part of wider efforts for economic regeneration, poverty reduction and conflict resolution. Staff from Rwanda make an initial visit to the University in February 2007 and members of the Teesside team will visit Rwanda in May. As well as supporting reciprocal visits, The British Council grant will also pay for vital equipment within Rwanda like books, computers and software.

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