TRAINING OF POLICE OFFICERS IN THE INVESTIGATION OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE

 

27/10/20 

Completed today two-day training workshop

The second training workshop on the investigation of rape and sexual abuse cases carried out by the Cyprus Police and the British High Commission in Cyprus was completed today.

 

The training workshop lasted two days and was held at the Cyprus Police Academy, under the general title "Responding to Initial Reports of Rape and Sexual Assault Workshop". Its aim was to further train members of the Police, in the handling of rape and sexual abuse cases, as the first recipients of such complaints.

 

This workshop was the second training programme, held in recent days, with the cooperation of the Police and the British High Commission. It was preceded, between the dates 19 and 22 October 2020, by a workshop on "Victim focused Investigations of Rape and Sexual Assault Workshop" addressed to investigators of such cases.

 

Instructors in the two programmes were Alison Eaton, an instructor at the Royal College of Policing, an expert on rape and child abuse, with 30 years of experience in the UK Police, and Isabelle Kerr, Director of the Rape Crisis Centre in Glasgow, an expert on Rape Trauma.

 

A total of 41 members of the Cyprus Police and two members of the British Base Police participated in the above trainings, who had the opportunity to enrich their knowledge, develop their skills and learn about the approaches and practices followed by other countries and organisations/services in such incidents.

 

Similar training workshops are held in other countries of the world and are funded by the British High Commission.

 

At the end of the trainings, the participants were awarded diplomas by the Deputy Consul of the British High Commission in Cyprus, Christina Smith, and the Director of the Cyprus Police Academy, Senior Constable Themistocles Arnautis.