FREEPORT, Bahamas -- Minister of Labour and National Insurance, the Hon. D. Shane Gibson while in Grand Bahama on June 29, toured the Grand Bahama Police Training Centre, located on West Pioneers Way.  He met with recruits and cadets and then inspected the new recruits during their obedience exercises.

The Police Training College is the premier provider of law enforcement training and education in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. It is comprised of four training schools and the Cadet Corps programme. Consistent with the Commissioner's Policing Plan, the primary role of the college is to conduct training of the highest quality for law enforcement officers.

The training school conducts a 24-week programme that is designed to provide recruits with the basic skills needed to perform their duties as police officers. The programme encompasses a bifocal approach to training, incorporating both practical and theoretical policing techniques. Core elements of the programme is divided into the following units: Applied Police Science, Firearms, Defensive Driving, Defensive Tactics, Computer Studies, Languages (Creole) Drill, Deportment and Tactical Exercises, First Responders/First Aid, Swimming and Life Saving and Physical Fitness.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force currently employs approximately 3000 sworn officers and more than 300 public servants in a range of challenging roles and duties. The force allows officers to have a direct impact on the quality of life in the Bahamian community. Career opportunities exist in the following areas: Community Policing, Scenes of Crime Investigation, Forensic Science, K9- Unit, Fire Services, Mobile Patrol, Legal Service, Traffic Law Enforcement, Crime Prevention and Investigations, Computer Operations, Electronic Communications, Drug Enforcement, Air Wing and Bicycle Patrol, among others, and promises room for promotion and progression.