BAGUIO CITY -- Law enforcers in the City of Pines are coordinating their peace-and-order and public safety activities and programs for the communities.
Last week, the heads of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), the Liga ng mga Barangay (league of villages), National Police Commission (Napolcom), and the city government signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA), committing to implement the Community and Service-Oriented Policing (CSOP) system together.
Soledad Benwaren, National Police Commission (Napolcom) city officer, said on Friday that the while the four agencies have been conducting activities for peace and order in the city, the community would appreciate it more if these are well-coordinated and the people are made part of these.
The four agencies have agreed to share funds, personnel, and information in adopting the CSOP system.
The CSOP framework, Benwaren said, also bolsters coordination and cooperation even among the residents.
Benwaren said the four offices would now jointly implement programs, projects, services, and activities within the CSOP framework as outlined in the city's Peace and Order and Public Safety Plan.
Aside from jointly organizing activities and implementing these, the agreement also provides for a monitoring and evaluation to see if the programs are well implemented and if they are attaining the purpose, for which such programs were conceptualized.
The CSOP, Benwaren explained, is a core mandate of the Napolcom, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which aims to make communities safe and secured, residents receiving services, and the people learning the importance of collaborating with the police and the local government for their own safety and security.
“The Napolcom, in line with Republic Act No. 8551, also known as the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998, instituted Community and Service-Oriented Policing or CSOP as the backbone of community-oriented policing and crime prevention through NAPOLCOM Resolution No. 2015-342,” she said.
She said this also relates to NAPOLCOM Memorandum Circular 2015-128, which pushes for the strengthening of the Peace and Order Councils (POCs) in local government units through the adoption of peace and order planning.
The signing of the MOA, she said, would aid in the proper implementation of the programs of the four agencies with the people's help. (PNA)
