VZCZCXRO7266
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHPO #0072 0371539
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061539Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8035
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO 0944
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 1512

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000072 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - LLUFTIG 
DEPT FOR INL/LP  NBOZZOLO, KBROWN 
CARACAS FOR LEGATT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM SNAR EAID PGOV PREL NS
SUBJECT: SURINAME'S POLICE ACADEMY TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF 
INL ASSISTANCE 
 
1.(U) Summary. In July 2005 Post through its International 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) program funded 
the renovation of a classroom building on the campus of the 
Surinamese Police Corps' (KPS) training academy and donated 
translation and presentation equipment. Since the much- 
needed overhaul of the dilapidated building, the classrooms 
have been in constant use, allowing KPS members of all 
ranks to enhance their skills in a variety of areas, 
including forensic investigations and human rights. End 
Summary. 
 
 
¶2. (U) Over the two past years, the KPS has made a 
concerted effort to increase the quantity and quality of 
its officer force, which is roughly 1,200 people in size. 
During 2005, nearly 200 recruits completed basic level 
training, while the KPS is on track to train an additional 
300 recruits by the end of the first quarter of 2007. 
Suriname's Chief of Police Delano Braam told the Embassy 
that the KPS is also making long-term investments in its 
middle and senior level personnel through additional 
managerial and technical training.  In order to reach its 
goals, the KPS police academy has been upgrading its 
facilities to attract the highest quality recruits and 
provide a professional learning environment for current KPS 
members that meets international standards. 
 
¶3. (U) Post's classroom project dovetailed into the KPS 
efforts for increased quality training opportunities.  The 
majority of classroom buildings at the academy are in sub- 
standard condition where a lack of air-conditioning exposes 
learning materials and computer equipment to tropical 
humidity.  Through its INL program, Post renovated the 
ceilings, walls, and floors of one classroom building and 
installed air conditioning units.  The renovations turned 
an unusable space with a leaky roof into two modern 
classrooms that now house computers available for 
information technology classes along with space for 
international training seminars. 
 
¶4. (U) Since the completion of the renovations six months 
ago, the KPS, often in cooperation with Dutch law 
enforcement experts, have used the classrooms to conduct 
courses on techniques in forensic investigations; human 
rights responsibilities in policing; relations between 
police officers and defense attorneys and prosecutors; 
handling victims of crime; domestic violence and sexual 
abuse; and how to improve police relations with the public. 
 
¶5. (U) With the renovated classrooms, the police academy 
now has suitable facilities to host future INL funded FBI 
training courses, the first one being planned for May. 
Having trainings at the academy will result in significant 
long-term savings since we will no longer need to rent 
expensive hotel conference halls as training sites.  The 
donation of translation equipment also saves the rental 
costs of such equipment for future USG funded training. 
The translation equipment will also enable Dutch-speaking 
Suriname to take advantage of possible training 
opportunities with experts from its French, Portuguese, and 
English speaking neighbors. 
 
¶6. (U) KPS Chief Braam recently relayed his deep 
appreciation to the USG for the police academy project.  He 
said that he was very pleased with the results thus far and 
feels that the project is making a contribution to his 
management team's efforts to increase the quality of the 
KPS police force and to bring the KPS training program up 
to international standards.  The director of the police 
academy told the Embassy that he has plans to upgrade other 
classroom facilities with KPS resources using the renovated 
classroom building as the standard.  Post feels these new 
plans exemplify the cooperative relationship between Post's 
INL program and the KPS. 
 
LEONARD