Querol directed the Northern Metro police chiefs Superintendent Benjarde Mantele of Caloocan City, Superintendent Ernesto Fojas of Malabon City, Superintendent Roberto Villanueva of Navotas, and Senior Superintendent Oscar Paginado of Valenzuela City, that effective at 8 a.m. today, an inspection of all issued service firearms would be conducted.
On Jan. 1, another inspection would be done to evaluate whether the NPD personnel fired their guns during the New Year’s Eve revelry or not.
Querol instructed the four police chiefs to direct their men to put masking tape on the tip of the barrels of their guns and have them signed or initialed by their station commanders to make certain that they could not be tampered with.
Chief Inspector Reynaldo Orante, NPD duty officer, said that policemen found to have used their guns would automatically be dismissed from the police service.
"We would like to reiterate our warning to those trigger happy cops that those caught firing their guns indiscriminately in welcoming the New Year would be dealt with accordingly," Orante said.
Orante noted that irresponsible policemen and even private individuals put in danger the lives of other people every time they fire their guns during the traditional welcoming of the New Year.
"For those whose fingers are really itching, we have our firing ranges in Caloocan, Malabon and Valenzuela cities which would be open 24-hours for them," Orante said. Orante, however, stressed that if the need arises, policemen can use their firearms.
"It’s a case to case basis, if the situation calls for them to use their weapons, I think there’s no problem about that," Orante said.
The NPD has a total of 2,025 issued firearms, 44 of them are on loan to local government units. – Pete Laude