Sunday, December 30, 2007 Police lacks vests, helmets By Jovy S. Taghoy Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE death of a rookie policeman and the injuries suffered by two Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) operatives have highlighted the need to acquire more protective gear for law enforcers, officials admitted.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos, in an interview, said he will inquire from Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador if the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has enough gear when responding to alarms, particularly involving armed persons.
“I would like to find out if they are wearing bulletproof vests. Do they have bulletproof vests in the first place? I will inquire about this so that appropriate action will be made,” Roderos said.
If there aren’t enough vests and Kevlar helmets, Roderos said, he might request Camp Crame to provide the CCPO with these supplies.
He, however, said these will not be immediately available.
Roderos said he also learned that the Cebu City Government is planning to buy protective gear for the city’s police force.
Director Comendador, in a separate interview, said they are also considering asking for assistance from the business sector, which has been involved in an adopt-a-police-station project.
At present, the city’s police force has only three bulletproof vests, now being used by the Swat team.
They do not have Kevlar helmets.
The lack of protective gear resurfaced after PO1 Noriel Luage of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau died while serving a search warrant on Ramon “Boy” Baclohan in Sitio Sab-a, Barangay Zapatera, Cebu City last Dec. 10.
Luage died just hours after he received an award at the Police Regional Office, for his role in the capture of a wanted man.
The police force’s problem was again stressed when Swat operatives SPO2 Renante Nioda and PO3 Reynaldo Callet were injured while responding to an armed person alarm last Dec. 25 in Barangay Inayawan.
Callet was wounded when the slug that came from the Magnum .357 revolver of Alejandro Bayarcal grazed the policeman’s abdomen. He was not wearing a vest.
Nioda, on the other hand, was wearing a vest, but a slug hit both his arms.
The price of a Kevlar helmet ranges from US$190 to $515, based on lists provided by online suppliers. A bulletproof vest, on the other hand, retails for US$195 or more. (JST)
