Maritime police and coastguard personnel complete trainings |22 July 2014

Personnel from two law enforcement bodies in Seychelles have completed trainings run by the EUCAP Nestor, the EU’s maritime capacity building mission in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean.

A group from the Seychelles Maritime Police Patrol Unit (SMPPU) has completed training in basic seamanship while a second group from the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) has learned how to carry out forensic crime scene investigation.

Nine officers of the SMPPU followed the June 23-July 18 basic seamanship training, which is the first of a group of trainings tailored for the specific tasks and responsibilities of the SMPPU.

It was carried out by EUCAP Nestor maritime police expert in the Seychelles Police Academy facilities.
The objective of the training was to provide the SMPPU with the basic maritime knowledge and essential skills they need to perform their duties at sea.

Theory was combined with practical training and focused on maritime technical issues such as coastal navigation, boat handling, communications, safety, boat maintenance and meteorology.

The Seychelles Coast Guard provided the logistical support for the practical training so that the trainees could receive the instructions on boat handling on board the Coast Guard boats.

The course content was developed in close cooperation with the Seychelles authorities.

The crime scene investigation and evidence handling training for 18 privates from the Seychelles Coast Guard, among whom 1 female, was carried out from July 7-18 by experienced EUCAP Nestor trainers.

The training took place in the Seychelles Defence Academy in Victoria, and is part of the 27-week basic training for the Coast Guard that is being carried out since January 2014 also with the help of EUCAP Nestor experts.

During the two weeks, the trainees obtained a basic knowledge of forensic crime scene investigation, evidence handling, taking photos of a crime scene and taking fingerprints.

The course content was developed in cooperation with the Seychelles authorities. The Seychelles Coast Guard took part in the training providing the logistical support, such as boats for practical training and class rooms within the Seychelles Defence Academy.

Commenting on these two trainings, Giulio Pirodi, acting country team leader for EUCAP Nestor in Seychelles, said:
“Thanks to the excellent cooperation with our partners in the Seychelles, we had three trainings ongoing in parallel this week. The Coast Guard, Maritime Police, Air Force and all other partners, as well as our maritime and police experts are doing a great effort to make these trainings a success.”

EUCAP Nestor is a civilian EU mission, under the Common Security and Defence Policy, which assists countries in the Horn of Africa and the Western Indian Ocean in strengthening their capacity to ensure maritime security and in particular to fight piracy.