KAIPTC receive un certification for its police predeployment course

The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has become the first training institute in West Africa to receive the United Nations Certificate of Training Recognition for its Police Pre Deployment Course (PPDT).

This institutional certification is based on an assessment and subsequent endorsement of the quality and competencies of the course facilitators, the instructional materials and methods, the learning environment and facilities such as lecture halls, syndicate and break out rooms, library, accommodation etc. The certification ranked the KAIPTC’s PPDT as one of the most organised and patronised courses available for Police troop contributing countries to AU/UN Missions.

By this recognition, the KAIPTC now has the authority to directly submit the names of participating officers in its PPDT courses to the Police Division, Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) at the United Nations for deployment to peacekeeping missions. The core facilitators for the course at the KAIPTC, through this recognition, have also been duly certified.

Expressing his delight over this achievement, the Commandant of the KAIPTC, Air vice Marshal GS Evans, noted that “this endorsement by the UN is proof of the world-class training courses that we deliver at the KAIPTC. We are humbled and proud at the same time, and wish to deeply thank our development partners who have sponsored this course over the years, our facilitators, participants and the entire KAIPTC staff for their hard work which has resulted in this recognition”.

Since 2009, the KAIPTC has been the nerve-centre for the organisation of PPDT for Police Contributing Countries in West Africa and beyond, with its Mobile Training Team (MTT) Unit training Police Officers in Tanzania in the past, and currently conducting PPDT in Malawi, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Benin and Mali.

Between 2009 and 2010, the Integrated Training Section (ITS) of the UN led by Mr. Jean Erikson conducted the first Trainer of Trainer Course in PPDT at the KAIPTC for selected individual facilitators drawn from Key West African Police Contributing Countries. This pool of UN certified facilitators became the foundation team for Police Pre Deployment organised by the Centre. The ITS’ visit was in fulfilment of the DPKO’s call for mandatory Pre-deployment training for all deploying police personnel.

The Police Pre-deployment Training Course, essentially, highlights police roles and responsibilities in Integrated Peace Support Operations, and aims at enhancing the capacity of police officers about to be deployed to ECOWAS/AU/UN missions by providing them with knowledge and skills at both operational and service delivery levels relating to operating procedures of United Nations Police (UNPOL) officers.

Upon completion of the course, participants, among others, get to know and appreciate the UN, AU and the ECOWAS systems, mission codes of conduct, acquire knowledge in personal security, respect for diversity, human rights matters and HIV/AIDS and manage issues relating to humanitarian assistance, child protection and women, peace and security.

The PPDT, which is now a prerequisite for UN deployment of police officers/gendarmeries to peace support operations, was first sponsored at the KAIPTC by the Central Police Training Development Authority in Bramshill, United Kingdom. The Federal Republic of Germany, Norway, Denmark and Sweden subsequently took over the sponsorship. Currently, the Federal Republic of Germany is the sole sponsor for the course, which has trained over 2,700 police officers since its inception in 2009.