After taking a two month break in training activities for the 2013 election season, ICITAP resumed police training courses on June 3, 2013. Eighty-six police officers from Mindanao began training on basic police operations, mid-level management and crime scene preservation. The courses are being conducted with PNP officers stationed in Basilan, Cotabato, Jolo, Tawi-Tawi and Marawi.
The classes, conducted by members of the Philippine National Police who have undergone instructor development training, are provided by the U.S. Department of Justice through its International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP).
Since establishing the program in the Philippines in 2006, ICITAP has trained more than 21,500 PNP officers throughout the country. ICITAP provides training for enhancement of basic police skills, as well as specialized training in investigations and forensic science throughout the Philippines. All of ICITAP’s classes reinforce the democratic policing principles of ethics and human rights. A majority of the funding for ICITAP training is provided by the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Department of State.
ICITAP works with foreign governments to develop professional and transparent law enforcement institutions that protect human rights, combat corruption, and reduce the threat of transnational crime and terrorism; and provides international development assistance that supports both national security and foreign policy objectives. It works in close partnership with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Defense, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
In the southern Philippines, ICITAP has provided funds for the development of training centers in Basilan, Cotabato, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, and Zamboanga as part of a series of initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of service provided by the PNP. ICITAP, in conjunction with other U.S. Government agencies, has also built a crime laboratory in Zamboanga City.