The Directorate of Criminal Investigations Academy is a certified college located in South C, Nairobi, next to the Police Pavilion. It offers specialized education that has been accredited with ISO standards.
DCI Academy, also known as the National Criminal Investigations Academy (NCIA), is among law enforcement’s top learning and research centres in the nation. The school is tasked with training officers on matters of investigation for the benefit of the Republic.
Started in 1957, the school began as the CID Training School and was located in the city centre before moving to its current location. Its mandate was to improve the efficiency of criminal investigations and increase the Kenya police capacity.
The City Centre CID Training School once housed both CID Training and Special Branch Training before moving to its current location, the National Intelligence Academy in Ruaraka.
The institution’s first commandant was Mr. John Bell SSP. The roles of the school’s commandant to date include:
- Efficient management and administration
- Training of all police and DCI officers on criminal investigations
- Development of relevant criminal investigation courses and programs for the academy and other police institutions
- Provision of liaison services for the DCI/Police and other training institutions
- Provision of financial management practices to ensure financial accountability
- Provision of relevant investigation or security training courses to governments/parastatals/organizations.
Inside DCI Academy
The institution near the Police Pavilion has plenty of classrooms and a modern auditorium. It also includes two forensic classrooms and a computer lab that’s being upgraded to an e-learning centre.
It houses a DCI Library stocked with books containing law enforcement knowledge from around the world. Additionally, it has a range of audiovisual materials, legal publications, government documents, and periodicals.
The library is set to be upgraded into a fully functional e-resource centre, with current and up-to-date e-resources on law enforcement from around the world.
Recreational facilities have been catered to by a spacious field for sports and a swimming pool within NCIA.
List of courses offered at the National Defence University of Kenya
NCIA Academy Courses
The school offers courses for officers under the DCI, Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) and other parastatals and government ministries.
As per their website, they also offer joint programs with foreign counterparts such as Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) of Germany and the Chinese Government. The NCIA put a lot of emphasis on experiential learning.
“Students are immersed in realistic scenarios designed to simulate the complexities of real-life investigations. From crime scene processing to witness interviews, every aspect of the investigative process is meticulously dissected and practiced under the guidance of seasoned professionals,” reads part of their website.
Courses offered by the institution include:
- Basic Investigations Course
- Investigations Course for Other Rank (C Course)
- Investigations Course Inspectorate (A Course)
- Crime Management Course Inspectorate (D Course)
- Police Promotional Courses – Across all ranks
- Investigative training to other government agencies and Parastatals
- Prosecutions
Some of the key areas of learning covered by the courses include:
- Managing evidence
- Gathering intelligence
- Managing a crime scene
- Management/Leadership
- Surveillance
- Forensics/Criminalistics
- Entering Premises
- Emergency Life Support
- Use of Force
- Communication
- Human Rights
- Race and Diversity
- Radio Procedures
- Road Checks
- Stop and search
- Health, safety & welfare
- Officer Safety
“Graduates emerge not only as skilled investigators but also as leaders and change-makers within their respective agencies.”
To get a full breakdown of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ current fee structure, reach out to the institution through the following contacts:
Contacts
Telephone: +254 020 7202000
Postal Address: P.O Box 30036-00100, Nairobi
Website: www.dci.go.ke