ICPO head reactivates police detachments, dissolves patrol unit

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Starting this week, all Community Police Assistance Centers (COMPACs) will be reactivated, but the Iloilo City Mobile Patrol Unit (ICMPU) will be dismantled, announced Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) head, Senior Supt. Marietto Valerio.

In December last year, the ICPO dismantled 12 of its 21 COMPACs or detachments for lack of personnel, retaining only nine in various districts of the city.

Two other COMPACs in brgys. Bolilao and Hibao-an in Mandurriao district are currently manned by the Iloilo Public Safety Company.

"Now we have enough personnel to man our COMPACs. The barangay chairmen in areas where we have a police detachment also assured us that they would provide force multipliers to help us," Valerio said.

The city police chief said that he already sent a memorandum to all police station commanders to immediately activate the 12 COMPACs.

With the COMPACs reactivation, Valerio confirmed he ordered the dismantling of the 80-men ICMPU, which was created last June to have administrative and operation control of patrols within the ICPO's jurisdiction.

The patrol unit's personnel were taken from ICPO's six police stations and, with its deactivation, these men will be deployed back to the police stations and assigned to man the COMPACs.

Adding strength to the police stations would be the 60 neophyte policemen now undergoing Police Field Training, said Valerio. — (FREEMAN)