Police training will be introduced across all police forces in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has announced.
Police are to receive a range of training, including basic firearms skills, as part of an effort to “improve public confidence in the police”, the Department for Communities and Local Government said.
It said police training would be delivered to “all the forces in force, regardless of rank, and will include training in the fundamentals of policing, as well as the use of CCTV and other electronic devices”.
It also said the training would include a range on police practices, how to “properly deal with members of the public, and what to do when there is a suspicious behaviour incident”.
It is expected that the Police Federation will be involved in the delivery of the training, which will be delivered in the first year of the new system.
It is understood that there will be “special focus” on how to deal with incidents where people have been physically or mentally injured, or where a person has been injured.
Police forces will be able to choose to run their own training as part “of their commitment to training in police practices and practices in the areas of policing that they control”, the Ministry said.
Chief Constable Chris Sims said: “The aim of this training is to enhance public confidence and trust in the policing of London, the UK’s capital, and the wider communities we serve.”
It is the first time that the police training programme will be rolled out across England and the rest of the UK.
It will be accompanied by a wide range of new police and community engagement programmes.
The Government said there were “significant gaps” in the current training and training services across the UK, including gaps in the availability of information and training.
Chief Inspector Mark Williams said:”We want the public to know that police are trained to do their jobs and to respect the rights of everyone.”
The Government’s priority is to ensure that every police officer can continue to perform their vital role in protecting our communities and ensuring that crime remains a threat to our communities.
