NPD offers free counseling to troubled cops

MANILA, Philippines - The Northern Police District (NPD) is offering free counseling and a spiritual enhancement program to police officers under stress due to personal, family or work-related issues.

NPD director Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said the program aims to help policemen become “more effective and dedicated law enforcers.”

“This program would surely help troubled police officers for it could become a venue to discuss emotional problems and find possible solutions,” he said.

Pagdilao said pastor Antonio Birol would spearhead the NPD’s spiritual enhancement and counseling program with other preachers from different ministries and congregations.

He said policemen could better relate and respond more positively to pastors, who are proficient guidance and spiritual counselors.

“Church people could easily get the trust and confidence of the police officers and they could better understand the situation,” Pagdilao said.

Birol said the program would provide proactive intervention to troubled police officers before their problem affects their performance as public protectors.

Pagdilao said for the program to be uniformly applied in all 37 police community precincts in Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela (Camanava), the pastors will also undergo a series of seminars and dialogues with ranking NPD officials to enhance their knowledge of police culture and to design the best approaches to deal with police officers’ problems.

Pagdilao said the NPD’s project is in line with the Philippine National Police’s integrated transformation program to shape the PNP into a more capable, credible and effective institution.                     – Pete Laude