Canada 'Mounties' could train Saudi police - report

One of the most world’s recognisable police forces, the Royal Canadian Mountain Police, is negotiating with officials in Saudi Arabia to provide training in ‘investigative techniques’ to the kingdom's police, Canada's the National Post has reported. 

Canada’s federal government has previously said it is trying to diversify its relationship with the oil-rich kingdom, currently its second largest export market in the region, beyond trade and economic interests.

Canadian government officials including Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with Saudi’s interior minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz during a visit to Canada earlier in the month.

The decision to train Saudi police could raise concerns about the Gulf state’s human rights record. Germany was heavily criticised in 2011 after it was reported that its federal force had been involved in training Saudi security forces in how to search and occupy houses and deal with protests and uprisings.