TACLOBAN CITY -- The Police Regional Office-8 showcased their preparedness in implementing the five-minute response during their 1st Police Response Simulation Exercise Competition that coincided with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s State-of-the-Nation Address on Monday, July 28.
Participating units received a surprise call and were given scenarios such as homicide, road crash, and physical injuries to showcase their readiness and adherence to protocols in effecting an arrest.
Police Brig. Gen. Jay Cumigad, PRO-8 regional director, lauded participants, noting that 99 percent achieved the five-minute response time.
“The officers of PRO-8 came up with this idea to stir up the usual simulation exercise that the national headquarters has been doing. With this, you are a witness that nothing is impossible,” Cumigad said.
He added that the exercise showcases their response time and identifies the areas they need to improve in terms of skills or technology.
Cumigad said that they are the first PRO to add 400 push-over cellular cameras and procure 54 body-worn cameras aside from the 20 issued by the PNP.
PRO-8 intends to procure 100 more by August for every station to have one or two BWCs.
Lawyer Risty Sibayan, Napolcom-8 regional director, also commended PNP chief Police Gen. Nicolas Torre III’s five-minute response initiative.
“The moment we call and the police arrive immediately, that is the feeling of safety, which is a big thing for an ordinary citizen who walks in an unfamiliar place,” he said.
He called on police units to be alert and ready for any incident.
“We hope that through this activity, we will improve on our response time through constant practice, and be able to mitigate risks and address other factors.”
He assured support and monitoring to ensure and enhance PNP capability.