NORTH Yorkshire Police has demonstrated its commitment to training by increasing the amount it spends on developing the knowledge and skills of its staff by £1m.

The cash will be spent on providing more educational courses for the force, as well as recruiting training staff in a variety of fields.

The large investment forms part of the NYPolicing Thrust strategy, a programme of change that has an emphasis on improving how services are delivered.

While all officers already receive thorough training, the money will enable the force's staff development services Department (SDSD) to widen and improve its scope.

Superintendent Paul Ackerley, head of SDSD, said training is a vitally important part of an officer's job.

He said: "Whether you are involved in a road collision, reporting a crime or a witness to an incident, you are entitled to demand that the people dealing with it have received the most appropriate training needed to deal with the occurrence efficiently.

As an NVQ Awarding Centre, some of the money will be used to increase the range of NVQs offered by the force, as well as to give officers more opportunities to go on external courses.

A recruitment drive will also see a career development officer, to co-ordinate and implement opportunities for officers and staff, and driver and firearms training staff employed.

Officers already receive in-house training and development in a variety of areas, including operational, IT, personal skills and management training.

But Supt Ackerley said that they need to be trained in many other areas because they deal with so many different situations.

He said: "Police officers are often the first people at the scene of an accident and it is therefore vital that they know first aid because it might make the difference between life and death.

"They need to have good communications skills if they are giving talks to schools or delivering a death message.

"Also they need to have good computer skills so they can make the most of the technology available to them."