Revamp planned for Bahrain police

Bahrain’s police force will undergo a major revamp in order to prevent future abuses, it was reported. Among the changes that will be implemented in the Gulf state include the construction of a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory in order to reduce the frequency of confession-based convictions, according to local paper Gulf Daily News. Among the other police reforms to be introduced include a ‘crime academy’ to train officers and 500 additional community officers, which will be deployed by the end of this year. Bahrain is the Gulf nation that has been worst affected by the Arab Spring unrest that has swept through the region, witnessing near daily demonstrations for more than a year. The changes have been spearheaded by former assistant commissioner of London’s Metropolitan police, John Yates, who has been advising Bahraini authorities on security matters in the wake of violent political unrest. In March, security officials announced that they would introduce CCTV during police interviews in order to prevent abuse. The government has also setup an independent police ombudsman to investigate reports of brutality during the unrest. Reports say 85 Bahraini civilians have been killed since uprisings started in February 2011.