Thirty-seven police officers and summary prosecutors from the Fiji Police Force are undergoing a six-week Office of the Director Of Public Prosecutions Basic Prosecution Course at the Police Special Response Unit, Nasinu.
The course is a mixture of theory and practical exercises designed to equip prosecutors with basic trial preparation and advocacy at the bar table.
Following the successful completion of the six-week course, these officers will then be able to participate in the ODPP Advanced Prosecution Course later in the year.
Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Elizabeth Rice says the key to effective advocacy is preparation, therefore, this course is designed to teach trial advocacy skills through case scenarios and in the final weeks of the course, moot courts will be conducted in which participants will be able to test their skills as advocates.
Rice says to provide necessary training to police and summary prosecutors throughout the year and the initiative has been a success and as a result summary prosecutors have improved in terms of both their trial and pre-trial advocacy.
