Multi-million pound training college approved

A new multi-million pound police training college has been approved in Northern Ireland which will give officers access to training of the “highest quality”.

Approval was given by the Department of Finance and Personnel to construct the £139 million joint public services college at Desertcreat.

Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister David Ford and Public Safety Minister Edwin Poots welcomed the decision to push ahead with the development that will provide training for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Northern Ireland Prison Service and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service once the site becomes operational in 2015.

PSNI’s Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie, who is also the chair of the Project Board, said: “This decision by the Department of Finance and Personnel marks the next step in achieving a purpose built world class training facility for our public services. This is a real example of government departments working together for everyone. The development of this shared college helps demonstrate that Northern Ireland is a place to invest.

She added that the current training facilities are outdated and would require considerable, costly modernisation to meet minimum standards. The Joint Services Training College was described as an investment for the future which will provide purpose built practical and classroom training facilities in a fully secured, protected and shared environment.

The decision was also welcomed by the Police Federation for Northern Ireland which said the request for a new centre was one of their core recommendations to Patten and was incorporated in his 1999 report.

A federation spokesperson said: “We congratulate our PSNI Command team for the quality of the business case that they put to the Executive and the Executive for recognising that professional policing needs to be supported by equally professional facilities.”

Mr Ford added: “This is an important milestone for everyone associated with the Desertcreat project and one which brings closer the building of an integrated public services training college with world class facilities.

“Our police officers, prison officers and fire fighters put their lives on the line for people across Northern Ireland day and daily and they deserve training facilities of the highest quality. Desertcreat will deliver this and I look forward to the next stage of the programme with the submission of a full planning application and the initiation of a tender process.”

A full planning application will be lodged within the next six months and work is due to start on the green field site in 2013, with the college opening two years later.

Public Safety Minister Edwin Poots added: “Our fire-fighters, police officers and prison officers deliver the best possible service to the people of Northern Ireland and it is only fitting they now have facilities to match their dedication and work. By integrating and sharing facilities, it is hoped that Desertcreat College will develop best practice in training, technology, sustainability and ecology, so that the college will become recognised as a world class partnership training environment.”