Against this backdrop, the then Minister of Internal Security, Henri Kox, commissioned an audit of the General Police Inspectorate (IGP) to assess the adequacy of training for recruits in handling incidents of violence. The audit reveals that there is still room for improvement.
First and foremost, it should be emphasised that the main goal in resolving critical situations is to solve them peacefully. Recognizing that this may not always be possible, police students must be adept at using force in a legal and proportionate manner. The IGP’s audit provides a positive assessment of the theoretical section of the training. According to the report, the current training conveys basic knowledge effectively. However, the practical section could be improved. A total of 13 recommendations were made, including that the practical elements of police training are practiced more regularly, as per the deputy inspector general, Vincent Fally, explains:
“The most important thing is the practical aspect, the repetitive aspect. Instructors must provide enough time for it. We need to assure that there are also, of course, enough instructors. I think you need to be given feedback, to be told if something you did was not right and why it wasn’t good. Instructors need to provide plenty of opportunities go back to the feedback so that recruits can continuously improve.”
The practical exercises should also be realistic. Gym environments cannot simulate field conditions such as humidity or darkness. The former Ministry of Internal Security had asked the police to see how the 13 recommendations could be integrated into an action plan. Three recommendations were adopted as they were, seven with partial changes, and one required further analysis. Two recommendations were rejected. When asked which two recommendations were not adopted, Vincent Fally answers:
“One of the recommendations concerned weapon safety. This is an internal matter, where the police naturally can have a different opinion than us. The other recommendation was regarding extensive commuting times for students traveling between the different police training sites. The police have already tried to put measures in place by using the sports hall next to the police training school for practical exercises.”
The fact that just three recommendations were accepted in their entirety is not as bad as it seems. The way the police is structured is an evolutive process and the goal of this audit is not to reach a final result immediately. The goal of this audit is to improve basic police training for recruits. In principle, the IGP carries out several audits or studies per year. In the spring, Henri Kox gave out three further tasks. This includes continuous training provisions, basic tactical training and territorial reorganisation from 2018.
