By STEVEN ZANDE
INSPECTOR General of Police Kakoma Kanganja has said the service will continue promoting in-service training to develop a cadre of professional and disciplined officers.
Mr Kanganja said subjecting officers to further training was crucial to building capacity in the service, stating that this will also help police win public confidence.
“My command is putting in a lot of effort in the rank and file of our officers so that as a country we can have seasoned, professional and disciplined officers. This will help the police service in win public confidence and trust,” he said.
He said this yesterday when he officially opened the 2018 in-service training course at Lilayi Police Training College in Lusaka.
Mr Kanganja said a well-trained Police service was vital for effective maintenance of law and order in the country hence the command’s desire to boost capacity in officers through continued training this year.
He said last year 1, 700 police officers were trained locally and abroad in diverse disciplines to equip them with the required skills that would enable cope with modern crime trends.
The Police Service this year targets to train 3, 000 officers in three Police training institutions, namely Zambia Police Training College, Godfrey Mukuma Police Training College in Sondela and the School of Public Order Maintenance in Kamfinsa, Kitwe.
Mr Kanganja said among other issues, the training would emphasise on Police disciplinary procedures on erring officers and the importance of adhering to the code of ethics.
“I have observed that most supervisors fail to discipline erring officers not because they exercise tolerance or lenience on but probably because they have forgotten or do not know the procedures to be taken when disciplining officers found wanting,” he said.
Mr Kanganja expressed confidence that the in-service training would help traffic officers learn best practices and develop cordial relations with motorists, saying the department had received most complaints from the public.
The IG called for good conduct among the learners and assured police that Government would address the issue of dilapidated infrastructure at training institutions, adding that plans were in place to construct modern training facilities as a long term measure.
College Commandant Jestus Nsonkolo assured the IG that the training programme was comprehensive and would help officers acquire skills in areas like law, Police duty and observance of human rights.