site.btaGendarmerie Sets Up Department to Train Police Instructors

A department will be set up with  the General Directorate Gendarmerie to train instructors who will conduct regular briefings and trainings of police officers on the ground, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov told journalists in Simitli on Monday. "Such trainings have been done before, but this system has become unresponsive over time, mostly because of political instability, lack of control, lack of direction and frequent changes of governments," the minister said.

He added that a tender has been announced for the purchase of body cameras, teasers and vests for the Ministry of Interior personnel. Training has been provided for instructors, who will then train the police officers to use tasers. A laboratory is also being built at the Interior Ministry Academy, which is equipped with the most modern tasers possible, Minister Mitov said.

Minister Mitov also said that serious talks with the Academy of the Ministry of Interior on how to improve the initial training of police officers are to be held. They will teach self-defence techniques, detention techniques, de-escalation techniques and everything a police officer needs to know in order to protect himself, Minister Mitov added.