The Philippine National Police (PNP) will be prioritizing the deployment of its personnel in the barangays identified by the local police forces as crime-prone areas.
PNP chief information officer Col. Redrico Maranan said the move is a strategic action plan as the national police does not have enough manpower to guard over 100 million Filipinos in all parts of the country.
“The identification of crime-prone barangays is necessary for our deployment. These are the areas where our personnel would be deployed and our commanders were already advised to properly implement it and conduct supervision so that these are done properly,” said Maranan.
The end goal, according to Maranan, is to reduce the crime that eventually leads to the peace of mind of the people.
He explained that police visibility is a necessary tool on this move as police presence has been proven as a crime-deterrent over the years.
Another action plan that would be initiated by the new PNP chief, according to Maranan, is to ensure that all the complaints of the people are properly addressed and acted in the soonest possible time.
Maranan, however, emphasized the importance of the cooperation of the barangay officials in maintaining peace and order.
He said that the strong coordination between the police and the community lies in the cooperation between the two, adding that it is the police commanders who are given the task to initiate it.
“The PNP cannot deploy policemen in each of the barangay. What we do is to cluster the barangay and then we either put up Police Community Precincts, police assistance desks or even a police outpost,” said Maranan.
“We believe that if this is properly implemented, we would be able to reduce the crime especially in the crime-prone barangays,” he added.