Senior officers of the Bermuda Police Service are honing their skills in people management and leadership on a three-week course brought in from Canada.

The men and women ranked at sergeant and inspector level are taking part in the Senior Police Administration Course (SPAC), which has them looking at problem-solving within the service, as well as improving teamwork and motivation.

Although officers in the past have completed the course, this is the first time the course has actually been brought to the Island in recent years, allowing a greater number of officers to take part.

Lead instructor Deborah Doherty, who is an educational specialist and facilitator for the Canadian Police, said yesterday that she was already impressed by the standard of the 18 officers.

She said: "What we are looking at here is really building a tool kit for today's Police leaders.

"We are concentrating on things like strategic planning, critical thinking, and improving skills for building interpersonal relations.

"Part of the course is about teamwork, and how best to work with others, and part of it is more about individuals. We look at managing conflict, as well as how to be a good leader who provides direction."

During the course, the officers are given a leadership challenge they must work on throughout the three weeks.

They each have to come up with a challenge that is facing Bermuda Police, and then devise how to define that challenge, what the problems are, and how it can be overcome.

Mrs. Doherty said, like other forces, the issue of recruiting and the retention of officers is an issue, so that had become the challenge for some of the course students.

And she said she was very excited because of all the leadership challenges she had done with courses since SPAC was reviewed two years ago, officers in Bermuda were having the most success.

The instructor said that could be partly down to the fact that the Island was small and only contained one force.

At the end of the three weeks, the officers will each have completed a business case for a particular challenge within the force, and will then give a presentation on that case to their peers and the most senior officers in Bermuda Police.

Mrs. Doherty said: "At the end of the course, we usually find that officers have more confidence in their leadership skills, and have a better understanding of the strategic direction of the service, and what they, as middle managers, can do to promote that direction.

"They have greater skills in dealing with the complex people issues in a Police force, and more knowledge and understanding of themselves.

"This course involves a lot of reflection on themselves in terms of their own personalities and their own abilities and styles of leadership."

Other instructors from Canada assisting Mrs. Doherty on the course are Inspector Ron Mostrey, Chief Superintendent Cal Corley, and Corporal John Sutherland.