NATION

NCRPO needs more cops — chief

Vivienne Angeles (VA) · Apr 10, 2024, 4:30 PM

TWENTY police officers who served as United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan, including 13 women, march during a ceremony honoring them at Camp BGen Rafael T. Crame, Quezon City on 12 February 2024. — PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PNP

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Major Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said on Wednesday that the law enforcement agency needs more police to balance its ratio with the population efficiently.

Nartatez said in an interview with DAILY TRIBUNE’s Straight Talk digital show Wednesday that NCRPO takes charge of security of 16 cities, namely Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Taguig, Makati, Manila, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and one municipality, Pateros.

"With those 17 citizen municipalities, it is divided into five districts. So we have five district directors – eastern, southern, central, northern, and the Manila police district," he said.

The NCRPO regional director disclosed that currently, the regional unit has 23,000 police officers.

"With that 23,000, we are servicing 17 citizen municipalities with a population of about 13.5 million," he revealed.

"We have a police-to-population ratio of one police officer to 500 people."

However, Nartatez noted that the ratio is not ideal as the population of Metro Manila during the daytime multiplies.

"It is increasing, almost double, to include our tourists and other personalities, whether from other countries or other provinces. Why? Because our tourist hubs are here, the economic hub is here, and including the activities of the national government and the local, all the activities are concentrated here, so it is increasing," Nartatez explained.

Thus, the chief said that the NCRPO needs more warm bodies of police officers.

"The ideal, for me and the chief PNP [Police Major General Rommel Francisco] Marbil agrees that we could raise a police-to-population ratio of one to 250 or one to 300," Nartatez said.

He added, "Because the job of the police is to conduct patrols and investigations, and on top of these patrols and investigations, you have community relations as well as your intelligence aspect of work. With the work of our police, they have lots to closely monitor here in the NCR."

Nartatez further noted that the NCRPO needs to double its workforce, as the gravity of the workload in Metro Manila is incomparable to that in rural areas.

"Here, when we have a deployment, it is my instruction that you do not exceed six hours [especially] when guarding a road. Do not exceed six hours. Make sure he rotates immediately, rests about two hours, and then returns," he said.