Police Training Academy Inaugurates Gym
A ribbon cutting ceremony for a newly constructed running track and gym at the National Police Training Academy was held today at its compound in the Capital. The facilities will be used by both the force and recruits to stay in shape. Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
The National Police Training Academy recently completed the construction of a running track and gym through generous contributions from the business community and the Department. The project, which is valued at a cost of fifty-two thousand dollars, features a room retrofitted with treadmills, stationary bicycles, weights and other gym equipments. Recruits and officers will use the training facilities to be in top physical shape.
Allen Whylie
Allen Whylie, Commissioner of Police
“A very significant milestone in the development of the Police Training Academy. You know physical fitness is very important in the life of a police officer and indeed after you complete initial recruit training, we often do not do the amount of physical training as a personal effort to keep healthy. And so having a track here as well as a new gym to allow not only the recruit officers to stay physically fit, but it will allow other police officers in this district as well as from countrywide, who may want to come on their own time to use the facilities. So it is a very significant milestone.”
ASP A. Richard Rosado, Commandant, Police Training Academy
“As police officers, we should be in the best physical conditions at all times and here at the academy, all our training are conducted in such a way that involves activities that continuously require officers to maintain a certain level of physical fitness. And the gym and the running track is just one other avenue for the recruits to be able to do that in a safe environment. It would also serve as an avenue for them to maintain that level of physical fitness and also to form to de-stress when used.”
A. Richard Rosado
The initiative started approximately a year ago by the Commandant of the Academy and his team and since then a basketball court and security cameras have been installed at the compound on Forest Drive.
ASP A. Richard Rosado
“With the partnership of the business community, we were able to establish, do, several construction. In particular; the basketball court, the installation of the security cameras, construction of an inspection square, running track and the gym toady at a total value of a hundred and forty-five thousand dollars with working in collaboration with the business community.”
Allen Whylie
“Part of the reason for doing the track here was because we’ve seen where the recruits when they are running around, mainly the ring road, there is always congestion of traffic and we are always fearful that persons may be injured. And so he approached with that idea, I was concerned in terms of financing and he assured me that he would be able to do it. I must commend himself as well as the business organizations who bought into his vision and supported to make today a reality.”
Commandant of the Training Academy, Assistant Superintendent Rosado, says that in his thirteen years with the service, he has worked with all the units of the department and officers have been longing for a facility to maintain their fitness. But Rosado has another component to the training for the recruits.
ASP A. Richard Rosado
“The academy is in the process of establishing a permanent training model where recruits will undergo four months of classroom training and it will now also include an internship component under the guidance of a field training officer. The field training officer’s unit will be piloted in Belize City within a couple weeks in an effort to professionalized the Belize Police Department and establish an institution of professional police officers. I personally subscribe to the thought that it will take educated police officers to be able to link policing objectives to the national objective of a democratic government.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner Allen Whylie says that there are several infrastructural projects in the pipeline for improved facilities at the Police Training Academy.
Allen Whylie
“We have recently received a set of drawings for a new barrack room, a multipurpose barrack room. There is also intent to have a general purpose building to be built as an auditorium and we are also looking at creating or establishing a mechanical garage on this compound which will service the police department vehicles in the south and in the west. So there are a number of plans underway. Those plans will be supported through the CARSI program as well as the government of Belize.”
Those plans are expected to begin later this year. Duane Moody for News Five.
