Manama: Bahrain's National Security Agency (NSA) is to implement an extensive training programme to bring its aptitudes with United Nations practices.
The training will start on January 22 and will be carried out over revolving periods of six months and provided to all staff, an official source said on Wednesday.
An international fact-finding mission, Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) in November recommended that the NSA "implement an extensive programme of public order training in accordance with UN practices."
The call was part of a series of recommendations set by the BICI following four months of investigations into the incidents that hit Bahrain in February and March and their consequences.
The commission, set up by King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa in late June to determine responsibilities and help the country heal its wounds, said that trainings with assistance from international experts were needed.
The source said that a wide-ranging and extensive training programme has been developed in order to develop a highly modern and sensitive public security force.
"This training programme applies the best international practices, including those of the UN," the official said. "The training modules will include intensive courses on promotion and respect for human rights and appropriate professional conduct. Part of the training will focus on how NSA personnel are to interact with members of the public."
The training will take the assistance of international experts and will continue to be developed in the future. The NSA is seeking the input of the United Nations on the curriculum, the official said.
Bahrain has issued a decree making the NSA a purely intelligence gathering agency with no law enforcement powers.
The NSA is also studying the best mechanisms to establish an internal office of Inspector General, which will play the role of ombudsman and watchdog.
Last week, Bahrain said that it had made progress on various fronts in its drive to implement the recommendations
