Minister of Interior Sar Kheng has requested that Germany increase law enforcement cooperation with Cambodia to strengthen the abilities of the Kingdom’s police force.

The request came at a January 4 meeting with German ambassador Stefan Anton Messerer.

During the meeting, Sar Khng praised Germany for its noteworthy contributions to Cambodia’s development and its support of the Kingdom.

“In addition to Germany, I have visited many other nations – the US, Australia and France, for example. I believe that Germany has the best sub-national administrative management system,” he said.

“Since then, we have worked alongside one another to adapt the German system to a Cambodian context,” he added.

He continued that Cambodia would like its police force to meet the same high standards as their international counterparts, and that the Kingdom is prepared to adjust the sub-national systems accordingly.

Messerer agreed that cooperation on modern sub-national police work is vital, as officers need to work closely with their communities.

“Germany is currently selecting an advance team who will work with the Cambodian Police Academy. They will establish a formal cooperation agreement in the near future,” he said.

During the meeting, Cambodian officials expressed their willingness to work closely with the German side to ensure the success of the cooperation.

The Kingdom is currently implementing the National Programme for Sub-National Democratic Development Phase 2 (2021-2030), designed as a long-term roadmap for the implementation of decentralisation reforms.