One hundred newly minted police officers were advised to “live for their country and not die for their country”. Top cop Gary Griffith who addressed the recruits at the Passing Out Parade on Wednesday said, “Your training is critical to keep you safe and you must continue being trained as you go about your career.”  “We are pushing training heavily for officers as you are expected to police a war zone.”

“You will be faced with many scenarios outside as officers and you need to know how to use your power responsibly,” the Commissioner told the recruits.

The Commissioner also reminded the recruits that people are now starting to believe in the TTPS and they need to work with them hand in hand to ensure that there is a continuous partnership in the fight against crime, according to a release from the TTPS.

While noting that the Police Academy is the only registered police academy among the 28 Caribbean states Provost Dr Simon Alexis told the recruits there needs to be “a whole nation approach when dealing with crime”.

“We are on par with other first world countries with regards to the training content we offer,” he explained.

The recruits were trained in several areas including; Criminal Law, Laws of Evidence, Police Procedures, Traffic Laws, Firearms Training and Behavioural Science.

Valedictorian, WPC Ornella Pierre reminded her colleagues that they entered an organization with rules and regulations and thanked staff and faculty members at the Academy. She reminisced on the tough days of training sharing that even though the beginning was hard to adapt to, they soon got accustomed, giving credit to the camaraderie and teamwork which helped them all get through the courses and long days and nights of training.