Caloocan issues body cams, safety lights for night-duty traffic officers

Mayor Along Malapitan during the launching of the “Mayor’s Hour: Ugnayan Sa City Hall” to personally address the concerns of his constituents in Caloocan City. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The local government of Caloocan issued over 120 body cameras and 100 emergency slap-wrap light emitting devices (LEDs) to personnel of the city’s public safety and traffic management department.

In a statement on Thursday, the Caloocan government said the devices aim to increase the visibility of enforcers, especially at night, to lessen chances of accidents on the road, as well as to ensure “the integrity of transactions between the operatives and the general public.”

READ: PNP plans to procure 22,000 body-worn cameras in 2024

For his part, Caloocan Mayor Dale Gonzalo “Along” Malapitan called on locals to participate in road safety to observe traffic rules.

According to previous reports, the country’s national police only has 2,756 body-worn cameras, far from their ideal number of 45,000.

To address the shortage, the Philippine National Police said in January that it plans to procure 22,000 body-worn cameras.