The train the trainers workshop organized by PRAWA as a component of Speeding Up Criminal Justice System Project in Enugu State under Justice for All J4A programme of the DFID ended on a successful note. According to the Monitoring and Evaluation Report released by PRAWA, the session was attended by 37 police officers made up of 86% male and 14% female.

The participants were drawn from different ranks ranging from Assistant Supritendents of Police, Deputy Supritendents of Police, CSP, Inspectors, and Acting Deputy Suprintendents of Police from different units and department of the police.

The workshop handled the some of the most critical areas in the Police works and operations within the ambits of human rights and criminal justic delivery. They include: Detention of Suspects, Handling of Juveniles and Interrogation of Suspects.

According to the beneficiaries, the training workshop has among other things helped them to increase their knowledge of practical steps in detention of suspects, equiped them to manage day to day activities better, enhanced their performances in their duties, guided them to know the do’s and don’ts of suspects detention and increased their sense of fulfilment in handling their responsibilities

The workshop according to respondents will help the police to build their public image, increase their efficiency and enable them to build effective relationship with the public, enhance the administration of justice, increase their knowledge of handling juveniles and better ways of interrogating suspects.

It was expected that effective method of interrogating suspects and gathering evidences by the men of the Force will be increased and practical views of how to interrogate and detain suspects acquired. In addition, the protection of innocent accused persons will be promoted and investigation techniques of police enhanced. And most importantly, it is expected that henceforth, the training will help the police guide against torture during interrogation and help them teach other officers in the Force.

The participants at the workshop recommended that the Child Rights Acts should be made available for Police Officers and that the workshop and case study session should be organized for them on a regular basis. They also requested PRAWA to extend same training to the ranks and files of Police Public Relations and the Criminal Investigation.

They also requested that the workshop be extended to the police in six geo-political zones of Nigeria with extended scope of the programme need to accommodate more police officers.

Meanwhile, PRAWA under the fifth component of Justice for All J4A Programme has slated a similar training with extended scope on enhancing investigative skills for the men of Criminal Investigation Department CID of the Nigerian Police Force in Enugu State. This is in fulfilment of the request made earlier by participants in the concluded training workshop.