The four-week training, in partnership with the Delta Flash Protection Agency (DFPA), formed part of efforts to promote highly skilled professionals equipped with the requisite knowledge and practical expertise to carry out their professional duties in an advanced manner.

Participants were taken through fire protection and firefighting, swimming and surviving skills, threat identification, covert and overt surveillance and trip and medical intelligence.

They also had training in vehicle and personal security, tactical surveillance and countermeasures, multiple weapon handling, close and distance monitoring, criminal investigation and acts of terrorism.

Dr Jethro W. Brooks Jnr, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the RMU, explained that the University, with over 65 years of experience in maritime education and training, began the process of diversifying its products in 2022.

"One of such processes is the massive and aggressive continuous professional development programmes that would improve upon the skills of the working class, improve their job performance, increase effectiveness on the job and improve quality of output," he said.

The collaboration with the DFPA's was timely and heartwarming as it helped the RMU to organise the Close Protection Training for various security agencies and personnel, he said.

Dr Brooks Jnr encouraged the participants to perform creditably to the admiration of the close protection security fraternity and the country at large.

All 12 participants received certificates for their efforts and said they were looking forward to using their newly acquired skills to protect lives.