New centre to provide ‘effective, professional and quality training’ for officers

When it opens in spring 2020, the new learning and development centre will bring all the training disciplines together under one roof, including:
• Three core classrooms and two crime classrooms;
• Two interview rooms and monitoring rooms;
• Two IT classrooms; and
• A fitness and safety training hall.

Chief Constable Nick Adderley said the new training facility was an “exciting development” for Northamptonshire Police and will ensure it is able to continue to “provide effective, professional and quality training in a much-improved and dedicated learning environment for many years to come”.

He added: “While the requirement to train hundreds of new officers over the next few years is crucial, training isn’t only for new recruits, and it’s really important that all our officers and staff continue their professional development throughout their careers and that we support and provide the right environment for them to do so.

“From general refresher skills training to dedicated courses for detectives and other specialists, alongside annual fitness tests and unarmed defensive tactics training, as well as leadership courses for our managers and those working towards promotion, there is a huge range of training we need to provide to ensure a fully skilled, motivated and committed workforce.”

Training currently takes place in two small, modular buildings in the driveway at Northamptonshire Police headquarters in Wootton Hall, which were earmarked for replacement ten years ago.
The new centre will be housed in a commercial building in Northampton purchased by Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner Stephen Mold. Refurbishment of the property is expected to take around 20 weeks and will transform it into a facility that he says will “enable officers to be trained in a more professional and appropriate environment”.

Mr Mold and the chief constable have confirmed plans to recruit 200 officers for Northamptonshire, which would take the force to 1,310 officers – back to the numbers of 2010.

Mr Mold said government funding for a further 57 officers has also been announced, with a further two phases of central funding expected for around 190 extra officers for Northamptonshire Police. On current projections, this would take the force to more than 1,500 officers by 2023.

“Northamptonshire Police is in the middle of a major recruitment drive and the way that officers are trained will shape those officers, and the force, for the next 30 years,” said Mr Mold.
“Old, decaying classrooms without proper facilities don’t create the best learning environment and they certainly don’t create the right impression when we are competing for the best quality recruits.

“This new facility will be among the best in the region and it is a very important investment in the future of Northamptonshire Police.”