By Jan Carlo Anolin
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is still lacking patrol vehicles and other equipment, an interior department official said.
DILG Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya (PCOO FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya disclosed that the police have only about 12,000 patrol vehicles, compared to the ideal number of 35,000.
Its Maritime Group, meanwhile, only has 12 patrol boats, a huge deficit from the expected 58 boats.
“Medyo malaki-laki pa rin po kasi ang kakulangan natin sa kagamitan,” Malaya said in an interview over radio DZMM Wednesday.
(We are quite lacking in terms of equipment.)
In terms of firearms, Malaya said all police have short firearms at hand. Other police would have to carry long fire arms as replacement for their sidearms.
The DILG also requested for at least 7,415 long firearms, and another 822 short fire arms next year.
The police to population ratio is now at one is to 576, as of 2017, compared to the ideal ration of one is to 500.
Aside from the police, the department’s other attached agencies are also facing inadequate equipment and number of personnel.
Malaya said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) was short of jail officers, which stand at a ratio of one is to 12. The ideal ratio is one jail officer for every three detainees.
For fire officers, the ratio stands at one is to 4,119, compared to the doubled ideal ratio of one is to 2,000.
As of this year, the government has a total of 2,351 fire trucks but the ideal number should be 3,687.
“We adhere to the procurement law at lahat ng mga kautusan ng government procurement policy board,” Malaya added.
(We adhere to the procurement law and all the order of the government procurement policy board.)