The Ministry of Interior is working to increase the number of police officers, and is posting them at commune police stations so they will be closer to the communities, according to Minister of Interior Sar Kheng.

Speaking at an August 9 meeting with cadets at Region II National Police Academy in Kampong Cham province, he said officers and cadets had undergone quality training, and he hoped the academy would maintain its excellent standards.

“Commune police stations are one of the places where the officers can build relationships with those who are closest to the public, like commune council members, clerks, village chiefs and their deputies, and teachers,” he said.

Sar Kheng thanked the provincial governor for supporting the academy.

In order for officers to fulfil their sworn duties with honour and efficiency, he said they need to study and undergo training, adding that once they had passed the police entrance exam, they would undergo a four-month introductory course.

“Officers who complete this will outperform those who do not,” he said.

He advised all officers to study hard and to always keep learning, especially when it comes to rapidly changing nature of offences like illegal drugs, human trafficking and cybercrime.

The minister said he intended to visit every regional police academy.

Roth Chamroeun, director of the region II school, presented a detailed report to Sar Kheng. It explained that this intake of cadets, the school’s 15th, is comprised of 127 students, 23 of them female.

He added that the school had trained commune police officers from four provinces – Kampong Cham, Prey Veng, Tbong Khmum and Svay Rieng – and has so far trained 6,279 officers, including 513 females.