Sixty bio-terrorism prevention and training experts from around the world gathered on 27-28 October 2010 at the Ecole Nationale Superieure de la Police to take part in Interpol’s Prevention of Bioterrorism Curriculum Workshop for National Police Academies.
The goal of this two-day workshop was the development of a common curriculum for bio-terrorism prevention training that could be integrated into standard training at police academies worldwide. The curriculum would build on the experience of experts from the 22 countries represented, as well as the bio-preparedness training curriculum that Interpol has developed over the past five years of the Bio-terrorism Prevention Programme.
Forty-one participants from 22 countries took part in this innovative workshop, as well as 17 bio-terrorism prevention experts from international and national agencies, under the guidance of educational experts from CEPOL -European Police College, Interpol’s Police Training Directorate and the Ecole National Superieure de la Police.
The tangible threat of bio-terrorism calls for prevention, preparedness and response at many levels, and in recognition of this, three training modules will be developed: a basic awareness course for first responders, an operational level curriculum for specialists engaged a regular CBRN response capacity, as well as curriculum with a focus on strategic planning, directed towards senior management.
The modules planned during the two days in St Cyr au Mont d’Or will be further perfected during the next year, so that a comprehensive bio-preparedness package will be ready in a year’s time.
