Curricula Development & Training

Under the Pacific Security Sector Governance (PSSG) Project (Phase I), support to the Fiji Police Force (FPF) is provided under Output 2 to support the Pilot of the First Hour Procedure and Video Recorded Interviews. Following Fiji’s ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) in March 2016, the plan for Pilot of the First Hour Procedure and Video-Recorded Interviews (the Pilot) was announced in September 2016 by the key justice stakeholders. The ‘Pilot’ commenced on the 1st of November 2016 at Totogo Police Station and the Criminal Investigations Division in Toorak and has been ongoing since.

In 2017 and 2018, two trainer of trainers in early access to justice were undertaken resulting in the qualification of forty trainers in the FPF with the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver the training to the FPF. Throughout 2018, the training material was developed to allow for introductory early access to justice training to the recruits in the Fiji Police Academy (FPA). To date over 300 new recruits in the FPA have received the training. With a view to ensuring sustainability of early access to justice training throughout the various levels in the force, it is proposed to finalise the material into formal curricula capable to being rolled out to officers in the FPF at all levels i.e. from Recruit to Superintendent level.

In December 2018, UNDP supported training for the FPF in Specialist Investigative Interviewing. The training was delivered by the UK College of Policing, supported by the British High Commission in Suva. The course was based on the College of Policing specialist interviewing course and the most up to date UK policing training style and Approved Professional Practice. The five-day training developed the skills of the FPF in interviewing children and vulnerable witnesses, suspects and victims. In addition, the training provided the participants with the necessary skills to carry out the training to their colleagues.  Similar to the early access to justice curricula, it is proposed that the training material be developed into formal curricula capable to being rolled out to officers in the FPF at all levels i.e. from Recruit to Superintendent level.

Arising from discussion with the FPF in 2019, it has been highlighted that there is a need to train police prosecutors on new investigative techniques being utilised by the FPF. Thus, it is proposed to develop a curriculum specifically for police prosecutors. The objective of this activity is to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the prosecutors in relation to relatively recent changes in the police investigation process. With such an understanding, the prosecutors will be better placed to present the evidence to the court. The curriculum will also include material in relation to behavioural indicators derived from the demeanour of individuals seen on video recorded interviews. This aspect of the training will focus on the presentation of evidence to the court in relation to the behavioural indicators of the accused or in response to any arguments raised regarding the demeanour of the investigator. Such an insight will assist the court in drawing its own inference from the footage of the interview.

UNDP will support the FPF in undertaking a range of activities to include training, development of curricula and design of knowledge products. Through the provision of an international expert in the area of police training and curricula development, the activities listed below will be supported. The international expert will be required to consistently liaise with the FPF in order to ensure that all training material, curricula development and knowledge products are strictly specific to the Fijian context and based on Fijian legal principles.

Scope of Work

The Consultant will be required to provide specialized technical support as follows:

Deliver training to the Fiji Police Force curriculum writers in relation to design and development of curricula and subsequently, support and mentor the Curriculum writers in developing and finalizing curricula and knowledge products in relation to early access to justice and specialist investigative interviewing. The Consultant will have 5 days of home based work prior to undertaking 10 days of work in the duty station, Suva, Fiji from 29 July to 9 August 2019.

Expected Outputs, Deliverables and Timelines:

The Consultant will be required to provide the following deliverables:

1. Facilitate a one-day training to the curriculum writers in relation to design and development of curricula.
2. Support and mentor the FPF curriculum writers in developing and finalising the curriculum in early access to justice at all levels (i.e. from Recruit to Superintendent level). Such support to include developing and finalising trainer and student manuals at the various levels. As part of the curriculum, a ‘Checklist’ will be developed outlining the steps to be taken prior to commencing a video recorded interview.
3. Support and mentor the FPF curriculum writers in developing and finalising the curriculum in specialist investigative interviewing at all levels (i.e. from Recruit to Superintendent level). Such support to include developing and finalising trainer and student manuals at the various levels.
4. Support the FPF in the design and completion of a handbook entitled ‘A Guide to interviewing vulnerable persons’. The Fiji specific guide will contain information for investigators preparing for and conducting interviews with vulnerable survivors of crime, witnesses and suspects. As part of the guide, two checklists will be developed outlining the steps to be taken prior to commencing an interview with a vulnerable person and prior to commencing an interview with a child survivor of crime.
5. Support the FPF curriculum writers in collaborating with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) with a view to designing a succinct training curriculum for police prosecutors in relation to video recorded interviews, the first hour procedure and models of investigative interviewing to include the P.E.A.C.E and A.B.E. models.
6. Support the FPF and the ODPP in the design and completion of ‘Elements of Offences’ handbook. The handbook will provide a useful guide to all members of the FPF in easily and quickly identifying the statutory provisions for an offence, elements of the offence, possible defences to that offence and the correct wording for the respective charge sheet. The FPF will select the most frequently committed offences in Fiji for insertion into the handbook.
7. Prepare and furnish to the Programme Manager a final report on the activities carried out, such report to contain photographs of the participants at the various sessions.

Institutional Arrangement

The Consultant will report to the Programme Manager, Access to Justice, Rule of Law and Human Rights, Effective Governance. Reporting is to be undertaken following completion of the curricula development and training, using an agreed reporting template. 

The Consultant to provide their own IT (computer).  

Duration of the Work and Duty Station

The Consultancy involves 15 days work for the Consultant.

The consultant will undertake 5 days of the contract from home prior to departing for the duty station. The remaining 10 days will be undertaken in Suva, Fiji.

Academic Qualifications:

• Minimum educational qualifications: Certificate or degree in Education or teaching or a related field.

Years of experience:

• At least 10 years’ experience in training police officers in the area of criminal investigations and human rights, including some experience in the international context, preferably in Fiji.

Daily Fee. Consultant shall quote an all-inclusive Daily Fee for the contract period. The term “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, consumables, any insurance, visa, etc.) that could be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment are already factored into the daily fee submitted in the proposal.

Payment shall be done once on completion of the activities, based on actual days worked, upon verification of completion of deliverables and approval by the IC’s supervisor.

In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis methodology.

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation: Technical Criteria 70% (as indicated above in Experience and Qualifications section) and Financial Criteria 30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria – Maximum 70 points

• Criteria 1 - Minimum educational qualifications: Qualified or retired Police Officer. (10 points)
• Criteria 2 - At least 10 years’ experience in training police officers in the area of criminal investigations and human rights, including some experience in the international context, preferably Fiji. (20 points) 
• Criteria 3 - Demonstrated experience of being able to prepare technical training materials in English language related to policing and human rights fields and curricula for police training institutions.  (30 points)
• Criteria 4 - Demonstrated experience of being able to conduct training sessions with police officers. (10 points)

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II).
2. Personal CV, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
3. Financial proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided (Annex II)