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Policing Board boycotts graduations of officers during review into PSNI training

New Police Service of Northern Ireland officers at a graduation ceremony following the completion of training. Picture by Stephen Davison 
New Police Service of Northern Ireland officers at a graduation ceremony following the completion of training. Picture by Stephen Davison  New Police Service of Northern Ireland officers at a graduation ceremony following the completion of training. Picture by Stephen Davison 

THE Policing Board has been boycotting graduation ceremonies for new PSNI officers in the wake of a cheating scandal that resulted in a damning report into recruit training.

Members of the board stayed away from graduations while the review was being conducted.

It followed an exam cheating scandal at the force’s Garnerville college earlier this year which prompted an officer recruitment freeze in August.

Details of the highly critical review were revealed on Monday.

According to the internal PSNI review the training regime for new police officers was at times like a military-style boot camp.

The report said there was a fear of failure within the PSNI college in east Belfast, with "an unhealthy leaning towards punitive discipline".

It went on to describe the Garnerville regime as "pseudo-militaristic", with students marching to and from classes.

Changes have already been made by the PSNI in response to the 50 recommendations made in the report – which was overseen by a Chief Superintendent from Police Scotland – and PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd admitted the document made for “hard reading”.

It emerged on Monday that the Policing Board had been boycotting ceremonies during the review. A spokesman said it would “not be appropriate” for the Board to be represented until it had been completed.

The board, who said the findings of the report were of "serious concern", will meet with PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton “to discuss the report and plans to deliver the full implementation of the recommendations made”.

Policing Board member Gerry Kelly said the details of the report read like "boot camp stuff".

“One of the most important things it said was it’s “not a safe learning environment”,” the Sinn Féin MLA said.

“A police officer isn’t a member of the army; a police officer is a member of the community.”

Meanwhile, the ongoing officer recruitment freeze should end, according to chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Mark Lindsay.

All training at Garnerville has been suspended since the exam cheating scandal was uncovered on 7 August.

More than 200 new recruits have had their training delayed while this review was completed.

The PSNI now hope that their training can begin, and that a new recruitment campaign can take place in January.

Mark Lindsay, the chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said that the Policing Board and the PSNI should "stop dithering" and begin a new recruitment campaign immediately.

“Given that we were already 700 (officers) short of the peacetime requirement as recommended in Patten, it does not take a genius to work out the crisis we are sleepwalking into,” he said.

“Officers are already presenting with unprecedented levels of stress and communities are noticing fewer officers on the ground. It is imperative that recruitment commences as soon as possible.”