TOURISM POLICE. Pangasinan Police Director Col. Redrico Maranan (center), together with Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil (2nd from left) and Binmaley Mayor Simplicio Rosario (2nd from right), during the Provincial Advisory Council Meeting and Command Conference on Tuesday (Nov. 12, 2019). The police gave updates on the peace and order situation in the province during this meeting. (Photo courtesy of Pangasinan Police Provincial Office's Facebook page)
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) will soon deploy its tourism police unit to man tourist spots in the province.
PPPO Director, Col. Redrico Maranan said on Thursday that the unit would consist of policemen who are multilingual, with pleasing personality, and trained by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
"The concept paper regarding this was already done and we are just seeking for the approval of the local chief executives as to which tourist spot the unit will be placed and we are also preparing for the logistics," Maranan said in an interview.
The need for tourism cops, he said, is due to the projected influx of tourists in the province given its fast-growing population and urbanization.
"This is also to prevent unlikely activities in tourist spots in the province. Because if a crime or anything negative happens in one of our tourist spots, it will not be good in our marketing of our province (to tourists)," he added.
Initially, some 30 cops would be assigned along the Lingayen bay walk after their training with DOT, Maranan said.
"They will be in two shiftings so that the area will be guarded 24 hours," he added.
The PPPO, Maranan said, will first account all the tourist spots in the province recognized by the DOT.
"And from there, we will know the number of tourism police in the province," he said.
Upon the approval of the regional police headquarters, the tourism cops unit project will be launched, Maranan said.
Meanwhile, Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil welcomed the proposed tourism cops.
"That is a good project so that motorists who use the bay walk will also be disciplined to obey certain speed limits and to prevent any untoward activities in the area," he said.
Bataoil asked the Department of Public Works and Highways’ 2nd Pangasinan engineering district to again put up signage indicating the allowed speed limit in the area. (PNA)
