Nozzle taping of guns implemented at WPS

The Waterfront Police Station has conducted yesterday the traditional nozzle taping of the service firearms of its personnel following the order from Cebu City Police Office director Supt. Melvin Gayotin.

The move was to prevent the station policemen from firing their guns during the Christmas and New Year's celebrations.

Waterfront Police Station duty desk officer SPO3 Nestor Caballero yesterday told The Freeman that the taping of the nozzle of their service firearms was conducted by station chief P/Supt. Pedrillo Villamor around 10 a.m. yesterday.

The station was the first to comply with Gayotin's order among all police stations and units of the CCPO.

Villamor covered with tapes the nozzle of the firearms of his 20 personnel, some of whom are field-training policemen. They are the members of the first batch who will enjoy Christmas vacation starting tomorrow. The next nozzle taping would be conducted on December 29.

"Gisayo ning pagpang-tape tungod kay dunay mo-enjoy sa Christmas break sugod karong petsa 22," Caballero said.

Earlier, regional police director C/Supt. Silverio Alarcio Jr. warned policemen against firing their guns during Christmas and New Year's celebrations. He said policemen caught firing their guns would be dismissed.

Alarcio explained that it has been the yearly practice of the Philippine National Police to put tapes on the nozzles of their service firearms, even as he urged the public to report policemen who are firing their guns during the revelry.

The regional police chief had earlier allowed policemen deployed in Cebu to help secure the postponed Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit to take a Christmas vacation.

The first batch of policemen who will take the Christmas break will come back two days before January 1 so that the second batch can take the New Year's break.

During the flag ceremony held last Monday morning at the CCPO, Gayotin ordered the first batch of vacationing policemen to have their guns taped.

The instruction, however, did not specify whether the tapes on the nozzle must be signed by their station chiefs our unit commanders. - Norvie S. Misa