New skills put to the test

The Initial Police Learning & Development Programme (IPLDP) is a programme aimed at the development of new police student officers. Historically police training was held at regional training centres far removed from communities and neighbourhoods.

However the IPLDP programme seeks to fully engage the police service with communities that are served and where officers will eventually police.
Community engagement can take many forms and the fundamental aims are:

* Building trust and sustainable relationships with communities
* Providing opportunities for officers to engage effectively by listening and responding to their communities
* Gaining an understanding of the needs and expectations of the community within which they work

An initiative within the programme is the undertaking of Community Role Plays. Last month, Student Police Officers from Dyfed Powys Police undertook a number of practical exercises in full view of the public at a local shopping centre and they were assessed by qualified police assessors. The role actors who were members of the local community agreed to assist Dyfed Powys Police with this initiative.

Sergeant Helen Coles said: "The aim of the role play is to consolidate what the officers have learnt so far and test them in situations which could arise."