Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 05, 2019 (RSCNPF): The final two weeks of a six-week training course in interviewing and leadership skills got underway at the conference room at the Customs Department on Monday, March 04, with Police Officers of various ranks.
The training is being conducted by Mervyn “Darby” Allen from the United Kingdom who specialises in interviewing and leadership skills. Mr. Allen was invited to the federation last year to introduce a new interviewing system for the Police. At the time, he began training Officers in that area and has now returned to continue. Mr. Allen described the course as consisting of many facets, the key areas being ways to interview people ethically and without infringing their human rights. The activity also includes members of Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise Department. This most recent training exercise began on February 04, 2019 with the first two weeks focusing on senior Officers.
“The idea was that we should enhance their leadership skills and their ability to develop their junior Officers. The course consisted of such diverse matters as transformational…leadership, communication skills, diversity within the force, equal opportunities and human rights,” explained Mr. Allen.
During that time, the senior Officers were also given a shortened interview skills course to sharpen their interviewing capabilities. The second two weeks focused primarily on interviewing skills. It was directed at Officers of all ranks, but targeted those who worked in the Criminal Investigation Department and those who undertake interviews in uniform.
These final two weeks is helping to prepare another group of Officers to carry out their duties ethically and within the law.
“Well, under your constitution you have a list of rights and freedoms which every person on this island is entitled to. And part of my job is to encourage Officers to act ethically, within these rights and freedoms, including the right to privacy, the right to family life, the right to a fair trial and various other issues,” the leadership and interviews skills specialist elaborated. “This goes for Officers from constable to sergeant and generally those who are engaged in interviewing for all sorts of offences, not just for violent crime, but burglaries, robberies, theft and taking a motor vehicle and various things like that.”
By the end of the training course on March 15, some forty (40) persons would have benefitted.
