PNP's crisis team well-trained, ill-equipped

MANILA, Philippines - Members of the elite Crisis Action Force (CAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are well-trained but need more equipment to effectively handle crises similar to the Aug. 23, 2010 hostage-taking in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed, a senior police official said yesterday.

Director Leocadio Santiago, chief of the PNP-Directorate for Operations, said 154 CAF members are individually prepared in handling cases during the five-day long CAF evaluation exercise.

“Basically, CAF needs suitable equipment to move, shoot and communicate,” he said in an interview. “Most of their firearms were assault rifles, which are not suitable during speed operations.”

He said each operative has to have a radio so orders are understood clearly, “so you don’t need to tap your colleague, which sometimes causes lapses and misunderstandings during crucial moments.”

Santiago also pointed out the need for individual protective gear, gas mask, headgear, vest, and uniform.

The members of the CAF – taken from the PNP’s other elite units such as the Special Action Force, Aviation Security Group, and the Maritime Group – underwent a five-day exercise in which they were assessed on their readiness to respond to mass hostage-taking situations in airports, commercial aircraft, passenger ships and land-based mass transit systems. The result of the evaluation has yet to be made public.