The information that just came out that 90% of the PNP not only do know how to clean their issued firearms but likewise cannot shoot as a marksman must certainly be rather surprising. More disturbingly, even the remaining 10%, if they qualify at all, are hardly above the level of novice.
That seems to cut across the entire 125,000 troop strength – men and women alike – that even top-ranking officers may well do not know how to shoot straight. If this be so, DBM probably has to allocate more money to fund ammunition requirements for some periodic schedule of familiarization firing or marksmanship training with the end in view of improving their shooting competencies.
The other time I happen to drop by the UP Coop to have some materials book-bound, I came across this Criminal Investigation Manual by the Philippine National Police which must be the manual being used for various kinds of police investigation. A cursory reading of its contents seems to tell us that the guidelines are based on existing provisions of the Constitution and of law. It then becomes difficult to think that on the ground, the reality is different.
Unlike other police departments elsewhere in the world, it also appears that theirs are a brief policy guideline on the conduct of arrests, whether off-duty or on-duty. Probably, rather than that thick manual, this is what the PNP must have in his pocket. In the end, everything is really common sense on what should be moral, legal, and constitutional. There is just no room for guesswork or self-inflicted sense of fear.
Again, I happen to drop by a grocery where books are sold cheap. I got hold of this book entitled, “Cop: A True Story” written by Michael Middleton who is now a retired veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department. What struck me is this. Apparently, the mantra of their police department is – “to protect and to serve”. Don’t we remember that that this is also the mantra or motto of our own PNP – worded in the reverse (was it?)?
What seems compelling is the seeming inactivity of police work in general. In the case of Middleton, he is said to have investigated more than 20,000 felony crimes, was at the scene of nearly 600 murders, and made over 3,000 arrests. Ours must pale in comparison with the LAPD in general and with Middleton in particular. Chances are, most police are just for display in malls, in highways, in public facilities, in giant private premises.
So, if true, that only 1 in every 10 policeman can shoot barely above the level of a novice, there ought to be a problem to be addressed. The consequences of this kind of institutional incompetency are of course devastating. We can always conclude that if they engage their targets in a crowded place, chances are the PNP will be hitting more innocent lives than the real culprits.
Since we cannot even begin a wholesale recruitment process, it seems that we will content ourselves with the given – a corps of police officers and men – who cannot shoot straight. Maybe, it is the reason why they pepper their targets with more bullets than necessary in a typical hot pursuit or wild goose chase precisely because they don’t even know how to train their guns.
How indeed can they figure well in a hostage drama? We might just be wasting an awful amount of taxpayers’ money having to fund or finance 125,000 policemen if 90% of these numbers shoot outside the frame?
It is only hoped that the case in the AFP is the exact opposite of what we have in the PNP or we will not be surprised why the NPA know how to shoot better with a just a single bullet in the head.
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Below is a comment posted a long time ago at
http://forum.gov.ph/thread.asp?rootID=42225&c...
" Ang nagpapasama sa pulis ay ang palaging reklamo ng bawat empleyado ng gobyerno, KULANG BUDGET, MALIIT SWELDO. Wala dapat yumaman sa government job pero di katotohanan dito sa atin. Di ako naniniwala na walang pera ang PNP, mismanaged lamang. Ang PNP ngayon ay parang isa pang BRANCH OF SERVICE. Sa dami ng pera sa gobyerno nananakaw, talagang kukulangin sa pera. Dagdagan pa natin ng mismangement lalo ng naapektuhan ang sistema.
SOLUTION: Itigil ang pag recruit ng police!!! BAWASAN ang pulis ng 50% at itaas ang sweldo nila at bigyan ng tamang gamit. Saan kukuhanin ang pera para itaas ang sweldo? Eh di sa budget ng PNP na nagpapasahod ng 50% na tinanggal. Ang daming posisyon sa PNP na hindi kailangan, sobra ang daming opisyal na walang silbi kungdi ang sumahod. Military structure kasi ang sistema ng PNP parang Army.
Iba ang misyon ng militar at ng law enforcement. Hindi dapat may enlisted at officer sa police corp natin, Ito ay dagdag kat@ngahan na naman. "
Our policement are total fak up.! They cannot even know how to invistigate FAILon suicide if what they call it. Whatever ….
Filipinos should be willing to pay more in VAT so that the government can raise the salaries of PNP staff and give the staff the handguns needed along with the proper gunhandling skills (to include qualifications on shooting and gunhandling techniques at least twice a year).
Filipinos should be willing to pay more in VAT to raise the salaries of public elementary and high school teachers.
SIDENOTE: Be aware and watch health-news.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090425/ap_on_re_la_a...
(1) Stay away from hospitals.
(2) Better get a box of surgical masks, just in case.
UP n grad,
But what if their (non)proficiency is already in their DNA?
This is the admission here. If each of the 90% of the 125,000 policemen cannot even as much as shoot straight with their Berettas, they have no business carrying those guns in public and without Permits to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence simply because they are policemen.
Why do I say that? It is because, for one to be given a Firearms License (in the case of non-police), they have to pass a marksmanship test (say, 5 shots should enter the target). Why not so too with them?
If they fail, surrender the badge – damn it! That badge may not be, in the end, a badge of protection for oneself much less for the public they intend to "serve and protect' kuno?
The Philippine police force is badly equipped; the PNP employees are poorly trained; "they" allow seriously underqualified to "pass" —- no different than Pinas "underqualified" are allowed to receive diplomas.
Filipinos should be willing to pay more in VAT so that the government can the staff the handguns needed along with gunhandling skills.
Kindly name your source materials re: 90% of policemen don't know how to use their firearms.
"What seems compelling is the seeming inactivity of police work in general." — basis for this statement?
What I know of is that currently, all policemen rank and file are recruited from college graduates — and many are board passers.
Criminals are better shooters and are better than the Police. No wonder crime is rampant.
Teaching the police force how to shoot and ignoring physical fitness may not be the only solution. 100 military push ups without shortness of breath are a good test on physical fitness. Mental endurance and physical fitness are basic requirements in this industry. Precision in shooting comes with the package of a healthy mind and body.
"Filipinos should be willing to pay more in VAT so that…"
UP n,
Why not…"so that the government can pad more "congressmen" in the House to power the Chacha train."?
who is the managing director or recruiting officers of our police force? every policemen must have basic understanding on criminal law and proceedings. These men in uniform must have six pack belly not a BOTETE.. and able to run 8 min/mile, at least. How could a policeman catch a criminal if he can only carry his belly but not his brain to use the gun? duh…
Guys! Guys! Guys! … Our police are good shots! Check all rubouts they're all shot between the eyes while resisting arrest … escaping … grappled with police … etc. etc … I wonder who made stories ABOUT POLICE NOT KNOWING HOW TO SHOOT … WE HAVE THE BESTEST …
Either you are not reading pekeng-peryodiko (HOOOOORAY!) or your mind is addled by crack…
By the way who cares if the police are good shots or not? It doesn't make any difference … WHAT WE NEED ARE GOOD INVISTIGATORS … Knowing how to shoot comes later …
Hi Primer, the source of the numbers would be great so that we could also pour over them..
They are good in salvaging or extra judicial killings. They never miss in their salvaging…
The source is Manila Times issue of 25 April 2009 citing the NAPOLCOM Commissioner.
thanks Primer..
…the above-mentioned study is probably interesting to read…
hard to shoot without a bullet (bullets are expensive)…more so without a gun…
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/april/25...
1 in 10 cannot shoot straight? Wetaminit … what good is shooting straight when our police is good in rubouts? In America, policemen shoot straight but cannot shoot. They cannot shoot because they'd be invistigated.
In FlipLand, victims are shot between the eyes, n the back and in the head … how's that for a bad shot?
HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!
YOU ALL ARE IN AMERICA AND YOU NEVER LEARNED FROM AMERICANS …. Why Flips cannot learn from America? Because they watch WoWoWieee and Eat Bulaga. They read extremely pekeng-peryodiko, the Balita, Manila Journal, Manila Blletin and most of all they read columns of Garfinkel how they can legalize their stay …
HA!HA!HA!HA1HA!