Res Gestae
Ready or not?
The region's police force will be put to test this week. The big question is whether they are ready or not? For what? Well, the test covers all facets of police functions, from crowd dispersal management to affidavit and complaint writing.
Dubbed as Annual General Inspection – Operational Readiness Security Inspection and Test Evaluation (AGI-ORSITE), a team from PNP National Headquarters – Internal Affairs Service will be here for a week of inspection to all police units.
The objective is to determine whether our law enforcers in this part of the country are ready or not both in the field of operation and administration. How will the inspectors do the evaluation? That is a surprise.
Though the AGI-ORSITE is regular activity every year, the inspectors vary in their procedures in determining the operational readiness and administrative aptitude of the police as individuals and as a unit.
The AGI-ORSITE, however, is not a competition among police offices or units. Though, the 17 regional police offices and districts will be ranked according to the points earned from the inspectors.
The Police Regional Office 6 has been preparing for a couple of months for this AGI-ORSITE. It's determined to make good impression from the evaluators headed by Atty Alexis Canonizado, the Inspector General of IAS. And, hopefully, it will regain its status as among the Top 5 Best PROs.
PRO 6 prepares its personnel with daily rank inspection and skills demonstrations. It rehearses the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) Team on Close Quarter Battle (CQB) and checkpoints including the 'high-risk' stop operations, while its crisis management team reviews on hostage negotiation. There are also regular calls for camp defense and fire drill.
The AGI-ORSITE requires for series of rehearsals as indispensable mechanism to perfect the executions, be it on simple hand-cuffing technique or on the intricacies of crime scene investigation.
Here lies the irony. Rehearsal is being conducted to prepare the personnel or unit for inspection instead of real action or operation. It is meant to impress the inspectors instead of enhancing the skills and competence of police personnel and units on law enforcement functions. It becomes a practice for a moment, not for a lifetime.
As I look at the police personnel of PRO 6 performing various police functions in preparation for the AGI-ORSITE, I can't help but applaud them. They execute precise hand-cuffing techniques, proper maneuvering during Immediate Action Drills, etc. However, I am worried. I know I can only see them this good next year again as they would be preparing for the next AGI-ORSITE.
Hence, it is my contention that being ready or not should not be a question in view of the inspection but of the daily police operations. The result of this AGI-ORSITE is not the gauge of the skills and competence of police personnel and units. Their performance in the daily law enforcement operations is. This fact is beyond dispute.
Thus, our police personnel must be ready to discharge their functions with competence and precision - any time of the day or night, not only during AGI-ORSITE.
(Comments to rogatepnp@yahoo.com or 09196131190.)