Zambia police officers receive UK training, ready for international missions

Five serving Zambia Police Service officers have completed training in public order in the United Kingdom (UK) and are ready for international assignments.

They travelled to the British city of Durham last week to receive training on public order policing.

This is according to a statement issued by the British High Commission in Zambia made available to Zambia Monitor on Thursday.

The visit is part of an ongoing UK government-funded programme to help support Zambia’s deployments to United Nations and African Union peacekeeping missions.

The officers spent three days with Durham Constabulary’s centre of excellence, observing how to manage the delivery of public order training to maximise the safety of both police officers and members of the public who become caught up in such incidents.

“The officers also visited and observed specialist areas of policing, including contact centres/control rooms and operational planning directorates,” the statement stated.

On their return to Zambia, the officers will share the knowledge they gained with their colleagues, through the delivery of comprehensive public order training.

“If the Government decides to deploy a police unit to future peacekeeping missions abroad, the training will enable Zambia to fulfil its commitments safely and effectively,” it reads.

The five officers who visited the UK are part of a wider contingent of 16 Zambian officers who have undergone training through a British Peace Support Team programme in 2021/22.