Officials say the move is part of efforts to modernize the country’s police force and prepare it for peacekeeping globally.

Internal Affairs Minister, (Rtd) Alfred Palo Conteh, said on Wednesday that the idea is to create an academy where troops will be trained for peacekeeping operations all over the world and also for continuing development programs.

He explained that police officers will be enrolled after they will have gone through their basic training.

The academy is meant to provide specialized career courses, like forensic science, ICT, and cyber security.

The courses will range from diploma, bachelors and Masters’ degree to PhD.

The Sierra Leone Police says it intends to utilize the expertise of the University of Sierra Leone and partner institutions in the UK to deliver the courses in the meantime.

“We are going to talk about a modern system that will not only train our own people but also bringing even members of the public, non-police officers, who want to acquire education to use the facilities of the academy to educate themselves,” said Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, MP.

“What we intend to achieve here is to ensure that we have an academy that will ensure that the police force develops the necessary expertise for the running of a modern police system,” he added.