Seychelles Holds Coast Guard and Marine Police Training

Closing ceremonies for two training courses carried out by EUCAP Nestor in cooperation with authorities were held on November 14 in the Seychelles.

After two weeks of training, 16 lieutenants and second lieutenants selected from different services of the Seychelles Defense Force (Coast Guard, Air Force and SPDF) received their certificates at a closing ceremony held at the Seychelles Coast Guard Academy on November 14 in the presence of the Commander of Seychelles Coast Guard, Lt Col Dine, and other Coast Guard officials.

This “Train the Trainer” course was the second of its kind given by EUCAP Nestor to officers of the Seychelles Coast Guard with the objective to create a pool of instructors for the Seychelles’ Coast Guard.

The first course was held in July 2013 and was developed based on an assessment and fact-finding mission carried out by the EUCAP Nestor training team in which they met with all the relevant actors of the Seychelles Coast Guard, such as Major Attala, the officer responsible for SCG training. One of the conclusions of the meetings was to conduct Train the Trainer courses for instructors of SCG so they could benefit and make use of these instructors to train new CG students. After the first course was delivered in July 2013, the students took up their task as instructors at various courses in the Seychelles. The most talented instructor was invited as a visiting expert to hold lectures to the seven-week basic training for Somali Coast Guard that EUCAP Nestor held in Djibouti in September – October 2014.

The participants of this latest course were a mix of officers involved in training with a range of 2-13 years of service. Two female students were among the students who were trained in learning systems and methods, the organization and planning of training courses, body language and visual means including the use of power point and audio-visual aids.

“My general observation throughout this course was that all participating officers demonstrated their willingness to actively engage with the course subject and develop further their skills as instructors thus reflecting a very important quality of leadership – the ability and willingness to learn and develop own competencies,” said Head of EUCAP Nestor Country Office in the Seychelles, Bo Holtse.

From November 3-14, eight trainees from Seychelles Marine Police Patrol Unit (MPPU) including two female officers, took part in a forensic crime scene investigation and evidence handling training carried out by EUCAP Nestor. The closing ceremony on November 14 was held in the presence of the Head of Operations of Seychelles Police, Sean Jacklin, the Director of National Crime Service Division, Superintendent Bruce Bursik and the Head of EUCAP Nestor’s Country Office in the Seychelles, Bo Holste.

The course that took place in the Seychelles Police Academy in Victoria and was developed in cooperation with the Seychelles authorities combined theoretical and practical exercises. The lectures were given by EUCAP Nestor trainers as well as officials from the Seychelles Police such as Superintendent Bruce Bursik who made a presentation on investigation at sea. Such skills will help the participants of different ranks to better investigate crimes and other offenses at sea.

At the closing ceremony, Superintendent Bursik said, “I am extremely grateful to EUCAP Nestor for the supportive role it has played in the establishment and training of the Police’s fledgling Marine Police Patrol Unit. The training course given by the EU experts has been of the highest order and the officers undergoing training have benefited tremendously. This is another good example of how the EU has assisted Seychelles in safeguarding our Maritime environment. We, in the Seychelles’ Police, appreciate the efforts and commitment of our international partners in supporting us and I look forward to strengthening our ties in the future.”

“The end of the two week Crime Scene Investigation course also marked the end of a successful training collaboration between EUCAP Nestor and the Seychelles Police Force developing the capabilities of the police officers assigned to the Marine Police Patrol Unit. These officers have now completed rigorous training within the maritime domain covering seamanship, legal issues and crime scene investigation and I am confident that these officers will conduct their future duties within the maritime domain in a very competent manner befitting the Seychelles Police Force,” said Bo Holtse, Head of EUCAP Nestor Seychelles Country Office.