• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Personnel of the Bacolod City Police Office will be made to undergo marksmanship evaluation, starting with members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Bacolod Councilor Al Victor Espino said.
Espino said that because the city has donated 8,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition to the BCPO, and they would like to see where their resources are spent.
The SWAT is a specialized unit and its personnel have more trainings compared to ordinary police officers. Since the city gave the BCPO assistance, they want to see the degree of marksmanship of the personnel of the SWAT, he said.
Espino said he already talked to Bacolod Police director Thomas Joseph Martir and he acceded to his proposal to assess the marksmanship capabilities of the police because it is essential in law enforcement that they should be proficient in the use of their firearms. He volunteered to oversee the BCPO which has about 780 regular personnel.
They have already turned-over the ammunition from the Arms Corporation of the Philippines to the BCPO, he said.
He is planning to propose to Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez that personnel of BCPO, as part of the requirement to receive allowance from the city, should be proficient with the use of their firearms, Espino said.
They will be conducting a more extensive training outside of SWAT. They will also create a program where police personnel will not be released their allowance from the city if do not achieve a certain level of marksmanship, he said.
They are currently receiving P1,000 a month, which the mayor is proposing to increase to P1,500, he added.*
