Deosaran: Pre-train police rookies

In an attempt to minimise delinquency and poor work ethic in the Police Service, the government-commissioned Police Manpower Audit Committee has suggested a system of pre-service training as opposed to the in-service model which has long been the norm.

Criminologist Prof Ramesh Deosaran, who recently headed the eight-member committee, told Sunday Newsday a system of pre-service training would improve professionalism in the Police Service.

“If you look at the Police Complaints Authority statistics, there are a lot of deficiencies in police behaviour. So, what we have suggested is a pre-service training system rather than in-service,” he said.

A copy of the audit report was presented to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on October 17. It was laid in the Parliament on December 1.

Deosaran said a pre-service system would include higher entry level requirements and also regularise the existing differentiation between the municipal police officers, Special Reserve Police and TTPS officers.

“After they are properly certified, in the pre-service system, they will be more committed. They will have more professionalism and there will be greater accountability.”

Deosaran said the idea for a pre-service model was drawn from interviews with personnel from the Police Training Academy, various police commissioners and ministers of national security. Saying mechanisms will be established to address drop-outs, Deosaran said once an individual is trained as a police officer, they would enter the Police Service as a career professional. “You make a career commitment because you are a certified, trained police officer. You apply to enter the Police Service or any other agency that requires your highly-trained professionalism.

“It is not like now where you could just enter and leave anytime because you get another job. When you are trained to that extent in theory and practice, you come in there as a committed police security professional and that commitment will flow from the pre-service system as opposed to what you have now.

“So we have recommended a pre-service training recruitment system to help elevate the professionalism, whose lack is so obvious today in the Police Service. The former independent senator said the committee, in its audit, also suggested the establishment of a police oversight board to man the operations of the Police Service with respect to appointments, promotions, transfers and discipline in the Police Service.

This board, he said, would work in tandem with a police inspectorate. “The role of that police inspectorate is to go around to each police station, check on the physical infrastructure, the charge room performance, punctuality, absenteeism, fitness considerations, use of force issues and other things that belong to police performance.”

Deosaran said the police inspectorate will report to the police oversight board.

“So, the deficiencies in the outstations will, under the police inspectorate, be quickly observed, reported and dealt with quickly and the police oversight board will likely take action accordingly.”