The planned Police Training College is already nearly two years behind schedule and still looking to bridge the £40 million shortfall needed to build the £120 million state-of-the-art facility. In the absence of philanthropic intervention, the Policing Board has reportedly decided to ask the Irish Government to stump up the cash.
According to the report, three of the other options available are:
– share part of the facility with the fire and ambulance services, with each making a contribution as they would then use it for training.
– find another location
– significantly reduce the scale of the project.
Apparently, the planned facility would include a police station and college with residential accommodation for more than 300 people, 40 classrooms, two lecture theatres, a research centre, a mock court and sports facilities.
There will also be large, purpose-built areas for what are called simulated training exercises – putting recruits into real life situations they will face when they are on the streets.
If the money doesn’t come from south of the border, a reconvened Assembly can always impose an additional charge on top of the regional rate, to meet the costs.
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