Metro needs 10,000 more cops

About 10,000 more cops must be recruited by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to augment the undermanned 17,000-Metro police force serving 12 million residents and additional three million day time transients.

This was revealed by Metro police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco who stressed that recruiting such a number was the only solution to the large disparity in the police to population ratio in the National Capital Region which currently stands at one cop for every 809 people compared to the internationally set ideal ratio of 1:500 in any urban setting.

He disclosed that Bangkok, Thailand has 40,000 policemen serving the same population like Metro Manila while Seoul, South Korea has 45,000 cops serving only six million population with 15,000 specifically hired in the civil disturbance management.

Citing the great disparity in a recent dinner with Metro Manila solons, the NCRPO chief said that to have additional 10,000 cops, lawmakers in both houses in Congress must take cognizance of the special case of Metro Manila since it is the center of government and business serving millions of residents, visitors and transients.

In his one year report, General Velasco said that the NCRPO is still undermanned by 9,290 personnel to meet the ideal police to population ratio.

Of the different districts in the metropolis, only the Central Police District (CPD) is close to approaching the ideal ratio. In Quezon City, the police to population ratio stands at 1:828.

The Western Police District (WPD) has a cop for 979 individuals; the Eastern Police District (EPD), has a cop for 995 persons; while the Southern Police District (SPD) ratio stands at 1:1,419.

The Northern Police District (NPD) police density against the population is very far from the ideal ratio, with one police officer serving and protecting 1,419 people.

In the meantime, the Metro police relies on its "force multipliers" like the 150,000 security guards, 23,000 barangay tanods and thousands of volunteers coming from a network of civil, youth, religious and non-government organizations to support in the peace and order campaign.

The Metro Manila police is slowly but surely working to address the insufficient number of police personnel with the recent recruitment of 322 personnel who are set to be deployed on the streets of the metropolis by October. — Non Aquiltran