PPSC region-based police trainers' conference
The use of practical, case-based training methods in Police training

Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) President Ricardo De Leon addressing the participants

HSF

Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC), with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) conducted a two-day conference in Cebu with police trainers from the different regions in Visayas about the use and success of  practical, case-based training methods for training police officers in senior-level training courses. This is part of the PPSC’s intention to standardize, and institutionalize the training methods in all of the PPSC’s constitutive training units which are responsible for all the mandatory training courses for members of the Philippine National Police. 

Participants included over forty training directors, faculty and police instructors from the regional training centers in the Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, and Western Visayas in addition to the Philippine National Police’s Central Visayas Regional Specialized Training Unit which also provides special training for commissioned police officers – the latter strengthening PPSC’s linkages with the PNP. The Regional Director (for Central Visayas) of the Commission on Human Rights was an active participant.

From 2016 through 2017, the PPSC, and as a result of PPSC officials’ observations of training methods of the Bavarian Police, developed training scenarios and promoted the use of practical, case-based training for the 10,000 to 15,000 police officers undergoing basic recruit courses prior to being commissioned into the PNP every year. 

HSF Resident Representative, Götz Heinicke, giving a message.

HSF

In the process, the PPSC, with the support of the HSF developed two manuals on the use of practical, case-based training scenarios, and an “instructors’ guide” for future police instructors.  For 2018, the method shall be introduced to police officers undergoing senior-level courses, i.e. junior leadership, senior leadership, and officer candidate courses.

Even with most faculty and police instructors already professing to teach using practical methods, the PPSC aims to standardize teaching methods, giving equal importance to planning, preparation, implementation, and evaluation phases. PPSC President Ricardo De Leon committed his organization’s plans to eventually institutionalize the practical, case-based training methods in all of the constitutive units teaching mandatory courses for all police officers.

Launching of the PPSC’s instructors’ “toolkit” on teaching using the practical, case-based scenarios.

HSF

The conference included workshop sessions where the participants were required to practical, case-based training scenarios based on the subjects they themselves teach at the regional training centers. As these are for senior-level courses, emphasis is on how the police officer-trainees are able to exercise their leadership skills and operate as a team, as opposed to basic recruit courses where the exercises include considerable tactical training. 

Incorporation of the principles relating to knowledge of police operational procedures, tactical training, communication, and rights-based policing (which requires adherence to the rule of law) were demonstrated during the presentation of training scenarios resulting from the workshop sessions.  Participants were not just asked to “role-play” their developed scenarios, but to present and defend before a panel how they plan to teach the cases based on an agreed structure.

PPSC publications on the use of practical, case-based training scenarios.

HSF

The use of practical, cased-based training methods in basic and further police training should lead to a strengthened rights-based and community-oriented police on the long term.