EDITORIAL - Poor deployment

Gas masks, tear gas guns, high-powered rifles, armored vests. Not on display were the sledgehammers, which are in fact useful for smashing certain materials, though not so effective, as we now know, for shattering the glass doors of buses. Great stuff for photo op, but where were all the assault paraphernalia, and where were all the gung-ho police teams when they were needed most, for more than 10 hours on Aug. 23?

The display the other day of those specialized gear and high-powered weapons of the police Special Weapons and Tactics teams from all over Metro Manila merely heightened the dismay of those who watched as last week’s hostage crisis unfolded. That display indicated poor deployment of available equipment and police personnel for the rescue operation.

The Manila Police District SWAT team had the entire day to prepare for a possible assault. Yet when the cops finally moved in, they brought with them tear gas canisters but not gas masks. They clearly lacked protective gear, which could have made them bolder in approaching the bus instead of running around it like a bunch of headless chickens.

The display of the SWAT paraphernalia the other day reinforces stories now circulating that turf wars left the hostages at the mercy of Manila’s version of Keystone Kops. Such stories can be verified in the ongoing investigation, whose principal aim should be credibility. In this connection, what is Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo doing as a member of the committee that could include him in its investigation? If no one has the good sense to exclude Robredo from the probe, shouldn’t he have the good sense to inhibit himself?

One good thing that should come out of this disaster is a sustained improvement in the way police SWAT teams operate. The Manila police is not an independent republic. For two decades now, it has belonged to an organization that is national in scope and character. Local police districts are free to form their own SWAT teams. But for the most serious threats to peace and order, especially those with international impact, the Philippine National Police should form a composite response team, with members culled from various police commands. The members must be known for their skills and courage in this line of work, to make the margin for error as narrow as possible. As last week’s crisis showed, incompetence can be deadly, not only for crime victims but also for the nation’s standing in the eyes of the world.