3,000 cops get formal training in crime investigation

MANILA, Philippines - Almost 3,000 policemen have completed formal trainings in crime investigation last month, Director Arturo Cacdac Jr., chief of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) said yesterday.

Cacdac said the training is part of the efforts of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to ensure the competence of police investigators and boost the crime solution rate.

“The PNP under the leadership of PNP chief Director Genera Raul Bacalzo has been implementing programs to make our police effective, efficient and more capable in providing public service,” Cacdac said.

Among those who finished the crime investigation course are policemen from Central Luzon, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales and Metro Manila.

Cacdac said the PNP launched the 30-day criminal investigation course nationwide in January shortly in reaction to a report in The STAR that eight out of 10 police officers handling criminal investigation lack formal training and skills.

The STAR report said that of the 3,781 police officers occupying investigative positions in nine regions, only 908 of them, or roughly 24 percent, have formal training on case investigation.

Roughly eight of 10 policemen had no formal trainings in crime investigation, as only 2,930 or 40.37 percent of 7,264 police investigators have completed their formal training in crime investigation, the report added.

“Police officers are the first responders, thus we really need to give our law enforcers the basic knowledge on crime scene preservation and other field training,” Cacdac said.