More funds needed for body cams in 1,500 municipal police stations — Eleazar

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) needs more funds to provide body cameras to some 1,500 municipal police stations nationwide, the police chief said on Monday.

PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar said the police force only has around 3,000 body cameras, which is set to be assigned only to hundreds of city police stations in the country.

READ: Poe urges Eleazar to push immediate use of body cams for cops 

“Only the city police stations nationwide ang mabibigyan natin nito. Dapat malaman ng ating kababayan na ito lang ang in-allot sa atin,” he told ANC in an interview.

(Only the city police stations nationwide would be given the bodycams. The public should know that these are the only ones allotted to us.)

READ: PNP finally using body cams; Metro cops first to train

“Yan pong mabibigyan natin ay just hundreds of police stations nationwide. Wala pa po yung municipal police stations,” he said. “Para mabigyan ng body cam ang more than almost 1,500 municipal police stations, ay kailangan po ng dagdag na body cam.”

(We could only give the body cams to hundreds of police stations nationwide. The municipal police stations are not yet included. We need additional body cams for almost 1,500 municipal police stations.)

Eleazar called for lawmakers to allot more funds for procurement of body cams.

“Kami ay lumalapit din sa mga mambabatas para ma-consider na madagdagan ang pondo for the procurement of more body cams,” he said.

(We are calling on our lawmakers to consider increasing the funds for the procurements of more body cams.)

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is still finalizing guidelines for the usage of body cams, especially during search warrants, the police chief reported.

“We have made coordination at kausap na din natin ang mga ginagalang na mahistrado ng Supreme Court dahil pinag-aaralan po na during the conduct or implementation of search warrant, at least sa search warrant man lang, may body cam na gagamitin,” he said.

(We also have spoken to our honorable Supreme Court magistrates because they are still looking into the use of body cams during the conduct or implementation of search warrants.)

“This is the protection not only of the police, but also of course of the public,” he added.

Eleazar said he hopes to implement the usage of body cams before the end of his term.

“We are hoping that all of the guidelines of the necessary preparations ay nakahanda na so that, within my term, ma-implement natin ito, masubok natin, so that more body cameras will be issued and procured by us para po sa ating police stations nationwide,” said the newly appointed chief.

(We are hoping that all of the guidelines and necessary preparations get prepared so that this would be tried and implemented within my term, and that more body cams would be issued and procured by us for our police stations nationwide.)

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