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Upon our return to the classroom, Captain Joseph
called me aside and asked if we had taught his men how to change the gears
on the bike while riding? Of course. my answer was "yes." "Did you also teach
the men to use the hand brakes to slow the bike?'' Again, "yes sir." His
relaxed, casual, demeanor made me think he was just checking on the curriculum
as a matter of courtesy, since he had not been around during the practices
up to this day. But Mark later told me that during a break, all the riders
who'd crashed on the road ride were caned: six lashes each for screwing up!
The good Captain was just making sure they'd been properly instructed before
he carried out the corporal punishment. We felt pretty badly about it, but
Fred assured us it was a regular event in any of their training.
The first class finished up in four days, which gave us one day off to recuperate
and do a little exploring in the countryside. We took a day long, four-wheeling
trip through the Akegara National Park, north of Kigali, where we saw far
less wildlife than we'd hoped, but it was an adventure nonetheless. Then,
we did a little shopping in Kigali, had dinner, and rested for class number
two the next day.
Class two went much the same as the first, only we benefited from having
two students from class one help out as bike mechanics. Each morning before
class began, Mark and I were greeted by the students who'd crashed and suffered
road rash seeking first aide assistance for their wounds. There is little
in the way of medical support in this war-torn, disease-ridden country. Our
students were well aware that a serious infection could cost them their lives,
if not treated. So we were happy to use our personal first aid kits to "doctor''
these guys every day. We packed our kits to handle any worst-case scenario,
and wound up with just enough bandages, antiseptic scrub, Neosporin, Ibuprofen,
etc. to help them until we departed.
A t the end of week two, on graduation day, we assembled the forty or so
best riders from both classes for the ceremonies. In attendance was the US
Ambassador, Robert Gibbon, the Rwandan Secretary of State and Minister of
Internal Affairs, the Chief of the Communal Police and staff, the German
Ambassador and staff, and other members of the international community who
are in Rwanda to aid in its rebuilding. The graduation took place on a practice
field outside a large soccer stadium, large enough for us to ride in a large
circle in front of our audience, demonstrating various riding techniques
the students had mastered. We rode in formation: columns of two. changing
to columns of four (all on whistle signals), and then forming a single column
that cross-over dismounted and stopped, facing the dignitaries.
Next, officers demonstrated the PC Course Suspect Apprehension drills, using
Ernie Buck of ICITAI as their "bad guy." And the final touch was two Communal
Police descending the 30 stairs from the upper level of the soccer stadium.
The entire ceremony was most impressive, not only for the audience of
dignitaries, but for the hundred or so citizens who lined the fences surrounding
the practice field.
Finally, each officer was called from the ranks to receive an IPMBA certificate
of completion, a diploma from ICITAP, and a pair of handcuffs (which would
later double as their bike lock). We ended the ceremony with a little ritual
Mark and I had them doing throughout the training to boost their enthusiasm.
First we high-fived each officer as we walked down their ranks. Next. we
shouted, 'who are the best police?'' And they screamed in their best English,
"bike police!" With that, the final salute to the audience came. We asked
them. "and what do we say'?" Simultaneously. they shouted the Marine Corps
"OORAH!", with clenched fists raised in jubilance! It was very cool!
The new bike officers were very proud and pedaled enthusiastically in formation
back to the compound, where we exchanged our final handshakes and
congratulations. We traded hats and other keep-sakes, said goodbye to our
new friends, and wished this newest cadre of police on bikes the best of
luck. It became evident to us that mountain biking had a positive impact
on them when some officers immediately wanted go tackle a couple of miles
of single track through the hills. We'd have loved to go, but our time was
too short.
It had been a long, hard two weeks in the blazing sun and thin air, but the
smiles on their faces and their exuberance told us it was well worth it helping
these guys find a better way to do their job. We flew out six hours after
graduation, too tired to even talk much on the plane. But we both felt a
great sense of accomplishment, and a deep respect for what these officers
were about to take on as bike patrol officers in Kigali, Rwanda.
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