GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/14 Feb) — Police personnel in Region 12 (Southwestern Mindanao) will undergo a series of specialized trainings on investigation and strategies in police operations to further improve the capability of the region’s police units.
Chief Supt. Gil Meneses, Region 12 police director, said the move is part of their efforts to enhance the overall operational capability and performance of the region’s police force, specifically in terms of investigation and crime prevention.
He said the training program will cover all police personnel in the region, especially those assigned at precinct and station levels.
The police official said the training program covers modules on basic police station operations, traffic and investigation.
“That (training) is one of our top priorities this year. We’ll see to it that our people have the proper training and capacity when they perform to their mandated duties and functions,” he said.
Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
Citing initial studies conducted by the Police Regional Office 12, Meneses said they found that most policemen assigned in stations and precincts in the region lack formal training on investigation and other related functions.
“There are some police stations that have only one assigned policeman with formal or specialized training on police investigation,” he said.
Although admitting that some policemen don’t have formal training on police investigation, Meneses clarified that a significant number have long years of hands-on experience on the matter.
But he said the concerned policemen still need to undergo formal training to update and enhance their police investigation and operational skills.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) national directorate earlier admitted that roughly 40 percent of its crime investigators have not undergone specialized training on investigation, hence PNP Director General Raul Bacalzo directed the implementation of “back to basics” retraining programs to ensure that all 135,000 policemen in the country have the basic training and
knowledge on police investigation.
Last month, the PNP announced the revision of its program of instruction in entry-level basic training courses for policemen, with special focus on investigation and police operations.
The PNP said the move is an enhancement of the PNP’s “investigative capability project” that aims to further develop human resources and formulation of needed basic and standard procedures in the conduct of investigation of crimes. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)