By Staff Reporter WINDHOEK The Embassy of Finland has provided N$600ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 for a 20-month training programme for the Namibian Police. The programme will provide training in human rights to senior officers at the Israel Patrick Iyambo Police College in Windhoek. It is intended to boost capacity-building among senior officers and is a sequel to a similar initiative in which junior officers received training in basic human rights. Speaking at the official opening, representative of the Finish Embassy, Seija Kinni-Huttunen said: “In today’s world, people and states depend on each other and influence each other’s well-being in many different ways. Through our own experience with the development of the Finnish society – in five decades from a poor country with a small production capacity and recovering from the two wars – into one of the world’s most competitive welfare and information societies, the Finns have learned that security and stability, both inside and outside the country in the surrounding regions, are perquisites for development.” Respect for human rights, democracy and good governance create a social environment that enables well-balanced development. “Equal participation by women and men in the functions of society is one of the ingredients of our own success, as is care for the environment,” she said. She also said: “Respect for human rights, promotion of gender equality, social equality and democracy, good governance and sound economic management are essential cornerstones for development.” She said training in various fields, such as General Management, Service Quality and Public Trust and Good Governance will be offered and will be conducted in partnership with the University of Namibia (Unam) and the Finnish Police. “It is my hope that, with this training, the understanding of human rights, good governance and community policing will be enhanced and, very importantly, that the relationship between the police and the public is improved for as the public need the police to create a safe environment, so do the police need the help of the public in their work,” she said. The Inspector-General of the Namibian Police, Sebastian Ndeitunga, thanked the Finnish Government for its generous financial support to the Namibian Police. “I would like to mention that the Finnish Government has been assisting the Namibian Police capacity-building efforts in the area of human rights and institutional development since 1998. “Therefore, what we are witnessing today is just one of the ongoing Finnish supports to the Namibian Government and indeed the Namibian Police, aimed at improving and enhancing capacity in the area of safety and security. If you may recall, before Namibia’s independence, the colonial police force was notorious for the brutality, blatant violation of human rights and disrespect for the rule of law. Today, the overwhelming majority of law-abiding citizens of this country join hands with Namibian Police in the fight against crime” he said. It is saddening that there have been a few undisciplined elements within the ranks of the Namibian Police Force that are tarnishing the good image of the police and the government in general, the police chief bemoaned. “I would like to reiterate here that the Government of Namibia is committed to pursuing the tenets of democracy in all its undertakings,” he added. He encouraged the 15 senior police officers, who were fortunate enough to be part of the rare occasion, to make use of the opportunity. “Courses of this nature are always tough and demanding. You might have noted how congested your course programme was. Besides that, your facilitators were drawn from different institutions such as the University of Namibia, the Polytechnic of Namibia, the Police College of Finland and your fellow colleagues from the force,” he concluded. He said, this broad combination of facilitators is a vivid testimony of the uniqueness and comprehensiveness of the 15 Senior Police Officer’s programme content.