QCPD boosts police presence ahead of school opening

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has ordered the deployment of police personnel across schools in Quezon City for the opening of classes as part of the Oplan Balik-Eskwela program.

The head of the QCPD operations and plans division, Police Lt. Col. Vicente Bumalay Jr. said in a forum on Tuesday that the QCPD is set to station 450 security enforcers in 234 public and private schools in Quezon City to protect the safety, peace, and orderliness of learning environments for students and faculty.

“As your partner in public safety is fully committed in ensuring that each of the students, along with the teachers and parents, can begin the school year in an environment that is safe, peaceful, and well-regulated,” Bumalay Jr. read from the statement of QCPD Acting Director Police Colonel Randy Glenn Silvio.

He added that 43 police assistance desks will also be placed in several campus key areas from the morning until the end of classes in the afternoon to “enhance police visibility and response capabilities.”

However, Assistant Quezon City Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Freddie Avendaño, said that the police personnel will not be encouraged to patrol inside the school to maintain the neutrality of the campuses.

“Schools are neutral zones and as much as possible, we discourage the presence of policemen inside the campuses especially during the first few days,” Avendaño said in the same forum.

Meanwhile, Bumalay Jr. vowed that the QCPD will respond to emergency calls in three minutes, two minutes faster than the five-minute treatment response target of the PNP Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III for Metro Manila incidents.

READ: PNP sets 5-minute police response time in a pilot test for Metro Manila

Based on the data presented by the QCPD, cases of crime incidents in Quezon City schools were reduced from 45 in 2023 to 21 in 2024, recording a 46 percent decrease.

READ: Crime incidents in Quezon City schools declined in 2024 — QCPD

Bumalay Jr. also said that the stations of QCPD will be devising prevention of recurrence of the reported incidents from the previous years, including cases of theft, robbery, and gender-based sexual harassment. “For prevention, our stations will develop plans to ensure past crimes will not be repeated.”

The Department of Education will roll out on Monday the official start of classes for the school year 2025-2026 as they revert to the old June to March school calendar. —Nelson Jr. Caparas, INQUIRER.net trainee