By Surihe Gaomas WINDHOEK Armed with over N$2 million of French funding, the Namibian Police last Friday commissioned its first-ever Emergency Response Unit in Windhoek. This long-term investment between Namibia and France also covered the cost of another specialized department called the Anti-Terrorism Unit in 2003. Of the N$2-million investment by the French government, about N$1,6 million catered for the training assistance and donation of emergency equipment, as well as eight operational vehicles, while over N$400ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 was donated for establishing the preceding Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Namibian Police seven years ago. Officially commissioning the Emergency Response Unit at the Israel Patrick Iyambo Police College in Windhoek, the Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, Gabes Shihepo, expressed gratitude to the French government for the continued assistance to the Namibian Police over the past ten years. “The generosity of the government of the Republic of France towards Namibia cannot be overemphasized, but I should here rather simply once again say thank you for everything, and long live our friendship, our cooperation and our nations,” said Shihepo when addressing various regional police commanders and chief inspectors who attended the event from all over the country. Shihepo further encouraged the Namibian Police to pursue establishing other specialized units under the existing French-Namibia Project of Cooperation on Police Matters. The project of establishing an Emergency Response Unit started off as a pilot project in 2005 in Windhoek (Khomas Region) and Oshakati in the Oshana Region. Now, two years down the line, it has been proven that this pilot project was successful and has ultimately resulted in it being officially commissioned last Friday. Currently, the Emergency Response Unit is being managed by 21 personnel and is equipped with the necessary material and equipment ready for deployment in the two regions. The unit is also highly trained in the disciplines of Defensive Tactics, Emergency/Disaster Management, Investigations, First Aid, High-Tech Radio Communications and Handling of Firearms. On his part, French Ambassador to Namibia Philippe Bossiere said both specialized units will help to improve the efficiency of the Namibian Police and should be replicated in other parts of the country. Bossiere looks forward to supporting these undertakings this year. “As I am deeply convinced that the two pilot units will deliver what is expected from them, the issue of replicating this undertaking in other towns will arise. We are open to see how we can support Nampol in this respect,” added Bossiere. At the same occasion, Inspector-General Sebastian Ndeitunga of the Namibian Police said the new unit would operate as a visible police unit dedicated to respond promptly to any emergency situations. “The unit will be armed with the necessary weaponry and equipped with the necessary tools to operate in a given emergency situation,” said Ndeitunga, urging the general public to continue giving their support to the Namibian Police to ensure the “timely attendance of emergency situations whenever they unfold,” especially those of a serious nature. The business community was also urged to offer their support to the Namibian Police, especially in terms of capacity-building to effectively and efficiently fight crime in the country. At the end of the event, 13 police officers were awarded with certificates for taking part in the recently-held Emergency Response Course.