Lawmaker to back PNP if it needs more budget for police training program

Bicol Saro Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Bicol Saro Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan supports the retraining of members of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Yamsuan made the statement following controversies involving members of the police force.

Last month, two teenagers were killed after they were shot to death during police operations against different targets.

The lawmaker believes regularly training and educating police personnel on operational procedures would help combat the increasing cases involving erring policemen.

“Proper training would help prevent misconduct among police officers,” Yamsuan, a former assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which handles PNP, said.

“Huwag nating  alalayan ang mga pulis kapag nagkamali na. Alalayan natin sila, turuan sila ng tamang police procedures, bago pa sila mag-conduct ng operations para walang kinabukasan ang nasisira,” he added.

(Don’t help our police officers after they have committed mistakes. Help them, teach them the proper police procedures before they conduct their operations so that no one’s future would be destroyed.)

Citing PNP’s proposed 2024 budget, Yamsuan disclosed that the police force allocated a P1.26 billion budget for its education and training, about 15 percent lower than the P1.47 million budget given to the same program last year.

Last year, a total of P300 million was allocated under the PNP’s police education program — in which Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors and representatives train law enforcement officers to enhance their evidence-gathering skills and lower convicting rates in criminal cases.

Quoting the DOJ, Yamsuan said that the courts dismiss 80 percent of cases filed by prosecutors due to lack of evidence or technicalities. Law enforcers often commit these shortcomings at the scene of the crime.

In line with this, the lawmaker said he would back the police force if it needs more funding for the program next year.

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