POLICE chiefs have brushed off fears that a new training regime for probationer officers is in chaos.

The new two-year Initial Police Learning and Development Programme is being rolled out across the country with the aim of training officers close to the communities where they will be working, with less emphasis on long periods of residential training.

It has meant forces taking over the former functions of national police training body Centrex and becoming responsible for delivering their own training.

Meanwhile, Centrex has continued in an advisory and co-ordinating capacity, but has been accused of not providing clear direction.

Magazine Personnel Today said the new set-up was causing "frustration and confusion" among forces, left to spend large amounts of time and money in creating their own schemes.

Earlier this year, Centrex closed its training facility at Durham police's Aykley Heads with the loss of 45 jobs.

The facility, leased from Durham police, was previously used to train officers from seven forces across the North.

A new centre has opened in its place, the North-East Centre for Policing Skills, staffed with qualified training officers from Durham and Northumbria forces who have joined in partnership.

Chief Inspector Trevor Robinson, head of the new centre, conceded there were some initial problems, but said: "We committed ourselves to starting up a project team ahead of the launch in April this year and that has now paid handsome dividends.

"We were one of the first courses to be up and running, are working very effectively and we have confidence in what we are doing.

"Whatever problems there are in other parts of the country, they are not shared in Durham and Northumbria."

About 250 probationers a year will pass through the centre's 31-week training course.

Cleveland police said it is in an "extremely successful" partnership with Teesside University to provide probationer training.

A spokeswoman said: "There were a few teething problems at first but these were quickly overcome and the university is now in a position where it has been asked to provide training for another force, other than Cleveland."