The Police Programme Africa is a joint German-EU support to The Gambia Police Force co financed by the European Union to provide technical assistance to the Police Force.
The programme seeks to strengthen the performance of The Gambia Police Force through training, equipment support and infrastructural enhancement. The training courses under the Programme are Crime Scene Investigation, Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Forensic Imaging.
At the ceremony, Omar Darboe, commissioner of police Kanifing Division emphasised the importance of the course, saying GIZ has been a long standing partner for The Gambia Police Force.
Crime scene investigation, he said, will help in trying to establish why a crime has occurred and also assist in bringing the people responsible or the perpetrators to justice. “While on the crime scene, you have to take your notes clearly so it can be well presented. Also, you should not overlook any factor that is being found on the crime scene,” he advised.
Abdou Bojang, police adviser, GIZ Police Programme, said they are glad that 15 Gambia Police Force Officers have attended the training and will be certified for successfully completing the training. “The feedback we received from both the trainers and the trainees is very encouraging,” he stated.
He urged the participants to share the information and the knowledge they have gained from the course with their colleagues who are not opportune to attend the training.
Samuel Mendy, a participant, returned gratitude to police high command for giving them the opportunity to participate in such an important training.
He expressed optimism that more opportunities like this to come their way, saying the training has enhanced and pushed them to another level of understanding how to attend to a crime scene.