DCI officers from the Anti-Terrorism Unit during training at Rwanda's Counter Terrorism Training Centre/DCIOfficers from the DCI Anti-Terrorism Police Unit have sustained training to sharpen their skills in readiness for this year's regional SWAT Challenge to be held in Rwanda.
The officers drawn from the Emergency Response Team of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have been undergoing intensive training at the Rwanda Counter Terrorism Training Centre ahead of the challenge.
The regional SWAT Challenge has been scheduled to be held at Rwanda's Mayange tactical training ground on January 29th and 30th, 2025.
"The competition, which brings together counterterrorism teams from member countries in the Eastern Africa region, is the first ever regional event since the formation of the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) in 1998 in Kampala, Uganda," DCI boss Mohamed Amin said in a statement.
He said a total of eight countries will participate in this year's edition.
DCI officers from the Anti-Terrorism Unit during training at Rwanda's Counter Terrorism Training Centre. /DCI/XThe participants include hosts Rwanda, Uganda, Djibouti, South Sudan, Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia.
The DCI boss revealed that Rwanda will field two teams (men and women), the same as Uganda, whose two teams comprise men.
"Ten SWAT teams are hence battling it out in a competition of precision, agility, mental strength, and combat techniques," Amin said.
"More importantly, the event seeks to foster synergy, teamwork, and cooperation among the member countries for a more safe and secure region," he added.
Kenya's DCI is a global leader in investigative matters based largely on its advanced forensic capabilities, strong intelligence gathering, and collaborations with international agencies like the FBI.
The DCI has teams dedicated to handling everything from cybercrime to terrorism, money laundering, and espionage.
DCI officers from the Anti-Terrorism Unit during training at Rwanda's Counter Terrorism Training Centre/DCI/XIn September last year, a survey ranked the agency the top investigative unit in Africa.
The survey conducted by research and survey firm Kenya Trak evaluated various agencies' effectiveness in tackling significant criminal cases, their operational capabilities, and their adoption of innovative investigative methods.
The DCI topped the rankings with an 82 per cent approval rating, attributed to its significant achievements in combating crime and curbing corruption cases.
It was followed by Ghana’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) with a 76 per cent rating.
Uganda’s investigative agencies came in third with a 74 per cent rating, followed by Ethiopia’s National Bureau of Investigations with a 68 per cent approval rating.
