TRAINING BODIES

The training department

Due the reformation of the Belgian police services and its consequences on the country's police structure, a training department had to be created. This department resorts directly under the Directorate of Human Resources of the federal police and is charged with initiating, developing, co-ordinating, evaluating and harmonizing all the intended training programs at a national level and for the complete Belgian police. A real platform of information and co-ordination, its activities are focused on the analysis of training needs as well as on the drafting of a global training plan for the integrated police. As a think-thank, the training department can provide advice regarding the training of the involved agencies.

Specific educational tools are regularly developed and realized by the department, either upon request or at its own initiative. It also plays a support role and transmits information towards the competent Belgian authorities.

The training department ensures the proper application of the various training programs by means of managerial contracts with police academies and by approving training programs. Thus it ensures the conformity of the involved legal issues and of the training quality. It guarantees equity between police academies at the organizational level and consistency regarding financing of the training programs. A European dimension and a role within the CEPOL.

Obviously the prerogatives of the Training Department at the Belgian national level is also extended to the European level.

Furthermore the Training Department was confided, the important mission to represent the interests, resources and Belgian needs concerning police co-operation, concerning training, both at the European and international level. Also, it was seen as the most appropriate co-ordinating authority regarding training issues and thus chairs the Belgian representation within the governing board of CEPOL.

Finally, it pilots cross-border co-operation projects in police training, with France, The Netherlands and Luxemburg.

Police Academies

To realize its objectives, the department works together with different partners, but most importantly with the different police academies. These constitute the kingpins of vocational training because they organize and distribute all the basic, specialized, advanced, and on-going training cycles, for all the members of the integrated police, whether from the federal police or local police, be it the operational, administrative or logistical personnel.

Among these schools, a distinction must be made between the approved police academies and those instituted by the Interior or Justice Ministries. Approved…

Approved…

The Interior Minister approved a training institution for police officers, in every province of the country, with the exception of Walloon Brabant. These institutions have their own status which is either a non-profit organization, or a provincial or interregional institution. There are a total of ten such institutions, one of which is bilingual for the region of the Brussels-capital district.

These schools work on the basis of receiving an ministerial approval by the Interior Minister depending the type of training. A managerial contract between the Interior Minister and the school's management is annually concluded, passing through the channels of the Training Department. Even though these schools are not directly a part of the police structure because they have their own organizing authority, they play an essential role in police training.

And instituted…

As far as the instituted schools, they emanate directly from the federal police structure and the organizational authority is assured by the Directorate of Human Resources. The Interior Minister established two schools: a federal police school and a national school for senior officers. Schematically, the first is responsible for the organization of functional and continued training as well as for the support of the approved schools (in particular the management of the students and the providing of instructors). The second school is responsible for the organization of the basic promotional training for senior officers, as well as for certain specialized and on-going trainings.

Finally, the Justice Minister also established a national detective's school which mission is to organise the functional training of basic-, mid- and senior officer-level police detectives. This school is also responsible for the continued training of crime investigation units, both local and federal.