Minister of Interior Sar Kheng reminded police officers that they must be professional and ethical and adhere to these two principles to gain trust and respect among the public.

He made the remarks while presiding over the June 15 closing ceremony of the first 15th generation of police vocational training course at the National Police Academy Region VI in Kampong Chhnang province.

“As you have learned, this is what you must do if you want the public to trust you, not fear you. No matter how strong we are, we cannot maintain good security and order without the support and participation of the public,” he said.

“This is a principle and a theory you should all remember,” he added.

Sar Kheng praised the academy for its efforts in managing the training of new officers and the excellent results in had achieved, singling out the professors and trainers for particular praise.

The interior minister advised the academy to continue pursuing the innovations that would enable it to lead, manage and implement the planned National Police reforms. He highlighted the need for the academy to learn from new kinds of crimes that occurred – in the region and beyond – and incorporate them into practical and theory lessons for trainees.

Ek Monosen, vice-president of the National Police Academy and director of its training department, said that since its inception, the Region VI academy has received 6,112 trainees, 463 of them women. An average of 500 trainees graduates each year.

“So far this year, the Region VI academy has received 180 trainees Phnom Penh Municipal Police who passed their exams in 2020. They are among the 1,108 trainees who graduated from the six regional police academies that year,” he said.

In the ceremony, the police trainees took an oath and swore allegiance to the nation, religion, the King and to the government of Cambodia. They swore that they would be willing to sacrifice everything, would always remain loyal to the motherland, and would respect the laws of the state and the code of conduct of the National Police.