Tonga's Acting Police Commissioner Taniela Faletau is reported to be doing well today, after collapsing at the Tonga Police Recruit Course prize giving ceremony on May 31.

He was scheduled to hand out the awards to 32 new probationary constables, but collapsed while inspecting the new recruits at the Police Training School, Longolongo, and was taken to Vaiola Hospital.

The ceremony continued with Peter Williams, an advisor from the Australian Federal Police awarding the certificates to the probationary constables who had successfully completed 24 weeks of training since December, 2011.

Pelikani 'Aho was the top student out of 32 who were awarded certificates on May 31, from the Tonga Police Recruit Course 41.

The graduates included nine women and 23 men. They were the first to do the course after it was registered with Tonga's National Qualification and Accreditation Board.

Peter congratulated the new recruits and said it was an exciting time for Tonga Police to have bright young people join the organization. They had gone through the aptitude test where they were tested in English, Tongan, literacy, numeracy and aptitude. "This was the first time that this strategy has been used by the Tonga Police and you should be proud that you finished in the top 51 of the 101 who sat the test from throughout Tonga," he said.

Ttheir course was conducted to comply with the requirements of the TNQA board and the quality of the instruction and the validity of the assessment were of high standard. 

The police constables had completed the first six months of their training and were to continue to the final phase of workplace assessment for 18 months before they can become police constables, and receive their diplomas.

The speech prepared by Acting Commissioner Faletau, was read out by APC 'Atelaite Soakai.

Faletau congratulated the new recruits as the first to study in the Tonga Police Development Program in Police training.

"It is important to develop the level of training and policing skills of Tonga police officers to match with the new developments in Tonga and worldwide, in this 21st century", he said.