DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 02 August) – The top official of Police Regional Office-Davao Region has promised quicker response to crime incidents in the wake of Mayor Sebastian Duterte’s threat that he would slap the police regional director over the latter’s three-minute response time policy that has allegedly done nothing against criminality.
In an interview with reporters at his office in Camp Quintin Merecido here, BGen Nicolas Torre III, PRO-Davao Region director assured that Dabawenyos could expect a swifter response from the local police to crime incidents, as they have operationalized the state-of-the-art PRO-11 Integrated Command Center.
Torre said they can monitor police operations in real time through the body-worn cameras that capture footages that are being broadcast at the command center through the internet.
He said the center allows the police swift and timely deployment of security personnel.
He said the region had acquired 24 body cameras but only 18 are available while the others are either missing or damaged.
He said the body-worn cameras were already available in the city as early as January but claimed that city police officials whom he recently relieved from their posts refused to utilize the equipment.
“It was very good investment. However, it was not maximized,” he said.
Torre said he removed the police officials because they could no longer catch up as they “they believed they were too great.”
“Dito sa Davao City, January pa na turn over pero ayaw gamitin ng police na pinagtatanggal ko kasi, well, dagdag trabaho eh. Masaya na sila at naniwala na sila na sila ang magaling. Kaya tinanggal ko sila dahil wala na silang matutunang bago (Here in Davao City, these were turned over in January but the police officials, who I recently relieved, did not want to use these because, well, it’s extra work. They are happy and contented to believe that they are the best. So, I removed them because they had nothing new to learn anymore),” he said.
The police official added that the goal of the three-minute response time is to ensure that police officers should reach the caller within three minutes after the call.
Torre said the PRO-Davao would also work with the Davao City Central 911 and Public Safety & Security Command Center.
“Basta pag may tumawag sa 911, itawag agad dito sa radyo, makakarating sa police sa kalsada, tatlong minuto tumakbo na yang police, within three minutes andun na kung sino man ang tumawag na responde sa 911 (As long as someone calls 911, they should immediately reach us through the radio, and we will immediately coordinate with the police on the road. The police will immediately run and, within three minutes, should be by the side of whoever calls 911),” he said.
In the fourth episode of “Basta Dabawenyo” on Duterte’s Facebook page “CM Baste Duterte” last July 28, the mayor criticized Torre over his pronouncement regarding the three-minute response time and even threatened to slap the police official.
“Isa ka bulan siya dire, sige daw unsay nabuhat sa three-minute response. (He’s been here for a month, tell me, what has the three-minute response achieved so far?) Has anything changed?,” he said.
Duterte also questioned Torre if he could really implement the three-minute response time.
“Lamia sagpaon aning tawhana oy. Makit-an nako ni sagpaon gyud nako ni. Pag mopalag ni sa akoa, sagpaon gyud nako ni. Usa na sa akong ambisyon sa kinabuhi, makasagpa og general (I really want to slap this person. If he resists me, I will really slap him. One of my ambitions in life is to slap a general),” he said.
Torre replied that Duterte was “not worth responding to” as he is a “professional police officer” and that he supports the mayor in maintaining peace and order. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
