New gendarmes warned against strikes, protests

Over 300 junior Non-commissioned Officers, NCOs, of the National Gendarmerie have been reminded of the primordial role of discipline in the military.

The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie, Jean Baptiste Bokam, gave the warning at the Yeyap Barracks in the Elig-Effa neighbourhood of Yaounde on Friday, September 1, 2015.

The event was the passing-out ceremony of 336 NCOs; all of the rank of sergeant. He warned that strikes and mass protests will not be tolerated. Jean Baptiste Bokam however promised the young junior gendarmerie officers that their commanders would always be available to listen to them.

He cautioned the officers to beware of the snare of extorting money from members of the public, explaining that this destroys relations between gendarmes and the people. “You must be models in your new career by serving the nation faithfully and loyally,” the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie advised urged the NCOs.

Earlier, the representative of the Commander of Gendarmerie Training Centres, Col. Lambou, disclosed that the 256 men and 80 women received adequate coaching in Information and Communication Technology, ICT during their training that lasted almost three years. He said this will give new impetus to units to which they have been posted. The Director of Studies, Gendarmerie Training Centres, Col. Yebo Jean Paul, read out the results, saying the 336 cadets had a success rate of over 84 per cent; with three girls among the first 20.

Participants in the Technical Aptitude Certificate, CAT Course 2, who are Probatoire or General Certificate of Education, GCE Ordinary Level holders, underwent intensive physical training and took among others, courses in weapons handling, law enforcement, crowd control, human rights, International Humanitarian Law, criminal procedures and the Criminal Procedure Code.