TWICKENHAM PARK, St Catherine – The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has launched a pilot project aimed at extending the period of training for police recruits from 16 weeks to one year.

As part of the project, the JCF has redesigned the training curriculum to fit into a 12-month period. The first batch of 125 recruits began training at the Police Academy in Twickenham Park, St Catherine, and are expected to graduate next April.

The redesigned curriculum will, however, only be adopted after a period of careful analysis and assessment.

A feature of the new curriculum is that recruits will be placed at various rural police stations for two weeks after a period of training to absorb and appreciate what they were taught in training and to compare and analyse theory against practical police work.

“The curriculum has been redesigned around a 12- to 14-month training period and includes a built-in period of attachment where the recruits will go out in the field to absorb and appreciate what they are taught,” explained acting assistant commissioner of police, Dormah Harrison, who is in charge of training.

According to ACP Harrison, the estimated length of the redesigned curriculum and training period was based on the delivery time.

“…You will have to understand that we will have to run the course in its entirety to make sure (that) the course content is delivered and then we will know how long it will take. But the estimated (time) based on the delivery time now is 12 months,” Harrison explained.

Harrison, who is also director of the police staff college, expects the next intake of recruit cops to begin training in April which he said will be the official course roll-out of the new 12-month training.

He said the training administration will now have to sit down, analyse and determine the skills and competence the recruits will need to graduate as constables.

“We see it as a pilot (project) and we are hoping that at the end of the time of the delivery of the entire content, we (will) see exactly how long it would take to deliver the course,” Harrison said.