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By Maricel V. Cruz, Reporter
There is greater need for the
police to come up with a strong, effective and community-friendly
fighting force against criminality, insurgency and terrorism, Jesus
Verzosa, deputy director general of the Philippine National Police
(PNP), told a forum held at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Friday.
The low public regard for and
poor public perception of the police are among the several serious
challenges being confronted by the PNP at present, said Verzosa.
A 2006 Pulse Asia survey showed
that only 15 percent of victims of crimes file cases or complaints
at the police-station level or other law-enforcement agencies.
Most victims do not bother to
report their cases to the police, thinking that filing cases or
complaints is a “waste of time.” The survey said the victims
also get disappointed by slow police action and the tedious
processes of filing cases or complaints that, in the end, lead to
nothing.
“Low percentage of crime
reporting is an indication of diminishing public trust and
confidence in the police and the criminal-justice system,” the
Pulse Asia survey noted.
The PNP is exploring ways to win
back the people’s trust, confidence, and support under its “PNP
Integrated Transformation Program.”
One frontline project under the
program is the Model Police Station Project, which was relaunched on
Friday to highlight improvements in pilot sites: Marikina City
police station, Aklan provincial police office, and Marawi City
police station in Mindanao.
The forum also marked the
relaunching of the project at the multipurpose hall in Camp Crame
attended by national-police officials headed by Verzosa, other key
officers, and stakeholders, including representatives from foreign
governments that fund the project.
Relaunched as part of the
“Mamang Pulis” (Mr. Policeman) concept of Avelino Razon Jr.,
national-police chief, the project aims to bring back the golden
days of the good cop, who is seen to be ready to serve and protect
the community.
The Model Police Station Project
is a reform initiative that intends to upgrade law-enforcement
capabilities, improve morale and welfare of personnel, and raise the
quality of services rendered at the police-station level.
Using a three-tiered approach,
the project entails the introduction of reforms in the physical
infrastructure, systems, methods and procedures, and human resources
at the police-station level.
It is also intended to integrate
and showcase police reforms and best practices in policing and
police-organization management; build a more comprehensive,
community-based peace and order planning and management system
making use of the police’s best practices; and establish and
institutionalize model police stations that provide quality police
services.
The overall justice system should
be more responsive and accessible to the poor and vulnerable sectors
of society, said Versoza, noting that the police are a pillar in
delivering services in the criminal-justice system.
“Overall, the goal would be to
make the PNP and its police stations more accountable, transparent,
rights-based, gender-sensitive, and supportive of people’s
participation in governance and in ensuring public order and
safety,” he added during his slide presentation.
Another project was initiated on
November 25, 2003, through an agreement between the national police
and the Supreme Court.
The agreement designated the
national police as the project’s implementing agency, and the High
Tribunal’s Program Management Office as its executing agency. The
project is funded by the United Nations Development Program and
intended to implement judicial reform in the country.
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