Investigative competence is not an easy skill to acquire, especially with the emergence of new and evolving crime genres. Crime investigation is no more the evaluation and interpretation of physical evidence or witness statements as the strategy is becoming more complex. In the new environment, it often takes a considerable time for police personnel to learn the ropes, keep pace with the latest developments and excel in their roles.
Helping them to tackle operational challenges and increase conviction rate, the Kollam police have launched advanced training sessions on serious crime, including cyber and financial offences. A first-of-its-kind initiative in the State, the project funded by the District Police Employees Cooperative Society aims at identifying and addressing micro-level skill gaps.
Practical-oriented
“While normal training sessions focus on particular aspects of policing, our programme is a comprehensive package. The programme is called Basic and it involves everything from preparing the FIR to the submission of chargesheet. The training will be thorough and the highlight of the programme is regular follow-ups. It is training plus hand-holding in a range of crime till the participants become experts. It is practical-oriented and the participants also have an option to specialise on their area of interest,” says District Police Chief T. Narayanan.
Basic is a year-long training programme and the participants will be monitored for a period after the initial sessions at the district police training centre.
“When they complete investigating 25 to 30 crime, they will be offered the next level of training. After they handle adequate number of cases, they will be given two other modules of advanced training. The entire process will take 10 to 12 months,” says Assistant Commissioner of Police A. Pradeep Kumar, who coordinates the training.
Small batches
Training is imparted to five-member batches and participation is voluntary. “Civil Police Officers (CPO) and senior CPOs will be trained by officials with a proven track record in solving cases. We opted for small batches to maintain quality. The idea is to train 180 persons a year and within three years the entire force in Kollam will be competent,” he adds.
The District Police Cooperative Society has set aside ₹7 lakh for the initiative and the society officials say they are willing to shell out more. “Skill development is very important when it comes to crime investigations. It helps our members to build confidence, manage time more efficiently, adapt to changes and deliver better. We are the first society in the State to go for such an initiative and the feedback of the programme has been excellent,” says Shyju S., society president.
