Guyana Police Force Academy secures local, international training accreditation

The Guyana Police Force Academy has secured both local and international accreditation and is preparing to renew its accreditation status as it expands its training programmes.

Director of the Guyana Police Force Academy, Senior Superintendent Sonia Herbert, made the announcement during the Police Round Up programme on Sunday.

Herbert said the academy has already begun working with the National Accreditation Council to introduce a new specialised programme. These include tourism policing, diploma and degree programmes.

She explained that the initiative comes as Guyana continues to see an increase in foreign nationals due to the expanding oil and gas sector and the hosting of major events.

“With the influx of foreign nationals that we are having and with the oil and gas industry and also with these national events that are taking place, it is good for the ranks to have the knowledge in tourism policing so that they can deal with that aspect of policing,” she said.

The senior officer added that the institution has strengthened collaboration with regional and international law enforcement agencies through training initiatives.

She said the academy’s annual junior officers’ course regularly includes participants from CARICOM member states, allowing for greater collaboration and diversity among officers.

The Regional Security System (RSS) frequently offers courses to Guyanese police officers abroad.

Additionally, members of the Miami-Dade Police Department are currently in Guyana conducting command training sessions with senior officers and tactical units within the force.

The GPF has also collaborated with the New York Police Department (NYPD), Miami-Dade Police and authorities in India on specialised training programmes.

Herbert revealed that 25 police ranks were recently sent to India’s National Forensic Sciences University, where they completed training in psychological interviewing.

These training opportunities and partnerships form part of the government’s effort to enhance the capacity and capabilities of its police ranks. [DPI]