The Philippine National Police (PNP) is bent to have 21 personnel as minimum requirement for every police station.
This is part of the integrated transformation program that the agency has started implementing to improve the efficiency of the police force.
Police deputy director general Jesus Verzosa said one of the key areas where the PNP is weak is human resource especially in municipal police stations in rural areas, where insurgency is high. He said most police stations were manned by less than 10 personnel.
Data showed that the current police-population ratio is 1:900, far from the ideal figure of 1:500.
The PNP plans to recruit at least 10,000 personnel every year in the next five years.
Verzosa said that the PNP has already started its transformation program and is almost done, as 90 percent. He said he wants all police stations in full force before PNP chief Avelino Razon retires this September.
We will be prioritizing critical areas where threat is high, Verzosa said.
“This,” Vezosa added, “is the answer to the call of local chief executives in safeguarding their areas from terrorist acts.” Recently, municipal police stations were the direct targets of harassment.
The funds used for the said program comes from the 10 billion peso capability enhancement plan of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo set to be spent in the next five years.
Half of the said budget will be poured into municipal police stations, a quarter will go to the special action force, 15 percent will be spent for national support units and 10 percent for the national headquarters. (PIA XI)
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