Police guns ordered silent for holidays

POLICE officers have been ordered ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays to put their firearms on “silent mode” — figuratively with tape, that is, and not with silencers — to prevent deaths by stray bullets in the midst of all the expected merrymaking.

“The 140,000-strong police force will be putting their guns on silent mode before and after Christmas and New Year celebrations as they will tape their guns to show their support to the government’s campaign to prevent firearms and firecrackers injuries,” the Philippine National Police said.

On Thursday, PNP Director General Nicanor Bartolome issued a stern warning to all police officers against the indiscriminate and illegal discharge of their firearms during Yuletide celebrations.

Police regional offices and stations across the country will schedule the traditional muzzle-taping of service firearms in the next few days as a precaution against indiscriminate firing, he said in a statement.

“We are doing this yearly to send a strong message to policemen, soldiers and gun owners, and to help the government bring down casualties and injuries during the revelry of the yuletide,” Bartolome said.

The PNP chief warned that “the full force of the law will be dealt to violators.”

But Bartolome said the muzzle-taping should not be taken to mean that the PNP would stop keeping watch over the community and conducting police operations and public safety measures during the holidays.

The alert status will remain in areas with fragile peace-and-order situation, especially in Mindanao, he said. Since November, all regions have been placed on heightened alert, except Mindanao, where police authorities are on full alert. /INQUIRER