House Bill requiring Police Officers to undergo mandatory professional development training
House Bill requiring Police Officers to undergo mandatory professional development training
The
effectiveness of a country’s law enforcement pivots on the capabilities of its
law enforcers. With the paramount objective of the government to ensure the
welfare of its citizens, it is necessary to require our law enforcers to
consistently undergo trainings to keep them abreast of the changing laws and
conditions of our country.
The
continuous learning of police officers will aid them in guaranteeing the
quality and efficiency of their work, to facilitate the strong protection of
the fundamental rights of our citizens.
In
18th Congress, Quezon City 1st District Representative
Anthony Peter “Onyx” D. Crisologo has
filed House
Bill No. 7108 or An
Act Ensuring the Professional Development of the Uniformed Personnel of the
Philippine National Police by Supporting the Continued Enhancement of their
Skills,” which is currently pending
on the Committee on Public Order and Safety for further discussion.
Rep.
Crisologo explained in his explanatory note that “the continuous learning of police officers will aid in guaranteeing
the quality and efficiency of their work, in order to facilitate the strong
protection of the fundamental rights of our citizens.
This will also significantly enhance
their capacity to control complex situations that concern handling suspects,
victims, and important and delicate evidence, to assist in the effective and
just implementation of our laws”.
Who are qualified to undergo Mandatory Professional
Development Training?
Patrolman/Patrolwoman
(Pat) to Police Lieutenant Colonel (PLTCOL)
Under
this bill, PNP personnel with the rank of Pat to PLTCOL shall regularly take a
minimum of twelve (12) hours of the compulsory seminar on the bill of rights, gathering, and custody of
evidence, criminal laws, crime analysis, and crime prevention courses and a
refresher on the PNP’s Operational Procedures every year.
It
has the same concept with the Professional Regulation Commission on Continuing
Professional Development (CPD) program, where it includes
Professional Development Council headed by Department of Interior Local
Government (DILG), in coordination with the National Police Commission
(NAPOLCOM) and Philippine National Police (PNP), and in consultation with the
Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
This
proposed law will encourage them to reaffirm their fervor for public service,
boost their motivation and morale to allow them to have greater confidence in
their ability to execute their duties.
The said bill on police professional development training seeks to strengthen the capacity of our law enforcers to maintain their competence and ensure that their skills are always aligned with the diverse needs of our communities to guarantee public order and safety.
At
present, the PNP has conducted several training and development programs
to their personnel under the Directorate
for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) or Regional Learning
and Doctrine Development Division (R8) for regional offices.
The said division was created to enhance the
training capability and acquisition of new knowledge, skills, and competencies
to improve the suitability of the members of the PNP in performing day to day
tasks.