Harold O'Connell, INTERPOL Director of Capacity Building & Training
Channel: INTERPOL
Date: 2017-05-08

Introduction

Police training plays a key role in INTERPOL’s overall mission to promote international police cooperation.

We help to build the capacity of police in our member countries, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and best practices needed to meet today's policing challenges.

Our wide range of initiatives is designed to bridge the gap between national and international policing and help law enforcement agencies make maximum use of the services provided by INTERPOL.

Partnerships with the public and private sectors ensure the continued relevance of our training courses and access to the latest thinking and expertise.
A comprehensive approach

Operational training courses cover specialized crime areas – such as terrorism, drugs and trafficking in human beings – as well as investigative support tools, such as forensic techniques and the use of INTERPOL's network and databases.

Other programmes are aimed at senior officers with responsibility for international police cooperation, and who are in a position to bring about change and improvement upon return to their respective administrations.

The INTERPOL Training Quality Assurance (TQA) ensures the effective delivery of training courses. It ensures that General Secretariat training programmes are in line with the necessary standards; that the training cycle is fully respected to reach the best quality; and that resources are used efficiently.

National Central Bureaus (NCBs) are INTERPOL’s link with national police forces and they are increasingly called upon to play a greater operational role as INTERPOL expands the range of its activities. A set of Core Competency Guidelines outline the five main areas of skills and experience required of NCB staff. The guidelines were developed by a group of NCB volunteers representing each of INTERPOL’s regions, together with representatives from the General Secretariat.

We are strengthening our Regional Bureaus (RBs) in support of the NCBs, and in collaboration with regional bodies of chiefs of police and other organizations. Each RB is equipped with modern training facilities, and has a designated Regional Training Officer who coordinates and enhances the regional training services.

The INTERPOL Global Learning Centre (IGLC) is a web-based portal giving authorized users access to a comprehensive range of online learning products. The IGLC is aimed at INTERPOL's National Central Bureaus and the wider police community across the world. Its goal is to encourage the sharing of knowledge and best practice between INTERPOL member countries as well as providing the opportunity for interactive e-learning. IGLC contains a wide catalogue of e-learning courses as well as an online library of resources with a wealth of links to reports, documents and websites of law enforcement organizations. This is complemented by resources from other relevant bodies such as universities, police colleges, academies and training institutions.