Wildlife Protection
Law Enforcement (LE) Officer
training course
"The Spearhead of Wildlife Protection in Namibia"
The special significance of the courses
The Namibian state uses both police and army forces for wildlife protection / anti-poaching. These operations take place almost exclusively in the state national parks, and where elephants and rhinos in particular are threatened by poaching.
Rhinos and elephants are the property of the Namibian state, and therefore indirectly owned by all Namibians, regardless of whether they are in national parks, communal land or on private land.
It is therefore our special duty to preserve these iconic wildlife species for all Namibians and also for our descendants.
Since the criminals involved in rhino and elephant poaching possess higher levels of criminally energy, particularly intensive, special training is necessary to prepare the Wildlife Protection Law Enforcement Officers for this threat.
Training requirements
The WP LE Officer Training Courses are specifically tailored to the needs of Namibian state security forces.
The courses are taking into account that the Namibian state's wildlife protection measures represent the spearhead of the fight against rhino and elephant poaching in Namibia.
The course is therefore best suited for officers who are both highly motivated and possess the required mental and physical fitness to make the best out of the courses.
It must be emphasized that this course also requires prior basic knowledge and existing fundamentals in anti-poaching work or general law enforcement work.
Course structure
The Wildlife Protection Law Enforcement Officer courses offered by AP4D are divided into 3 levels: Basic, Advanced and Master courses, each lasting 15 days.
At each level, the requirements and training content are expanded and deepened. Each course is awarded a certificate.
This means that a trainee must complete a total of 3 courses of 15 days each to reach the highest qualification level of "Master Wildlife Protection LE Officer", i.e. a total of training over a period of alltogether 45 days.
This time is required to adequately train the officers in all the required specialist areas and skills of his profession.
Content of the courses
The course focuses primarily on the techniques and tactics necessary to successfully localize, identify, track, pursue and arrest potentially dangerous and possibly armed wildlife criminals in the field under the difficult conditions of the Namibian outdoors.
At the same time, as "Health & Safety precautions", the WP LE Officers are intensively trained to be able to ensure their own safety and that of their team during these crime prevention missions.
Self-defense techniques and tactics, as well as first aid and search & rescue missions are therefore of equal importance.
Cooperation with the commanding officers
Depending on the existing level of training of the participants and on the special requirements and goals set by command, the course is tailored in consultation with the commanding officers.
Development of Wildlife Protection Teams
for Nature Conservation, Job Creation and Rural Development