Friday, August 15, 2008 Police buy 359 more vehicles
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday commissioned 359 more land vehicles to further improve the mobility of police units in preventive patrol operations and emergency response.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno and PNP Chief Avelino Razon Jr. led the inauguration and send-off for the new vehicles in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Razon said the 244 multi-purpose patrol vehicles, 25 squad cars, 18 utility vehicles, and 72 motorcycles were acquired through the 2007 capital outlay savings and congressional allocation, and from the 2008 capability enhancement program of the PNP.
"These added logistics will insure that the PNP will be more capable and effective in performing the mission to serve and protect the people," he said.
The PNP maintains a fleet of 9,000 land vehicles distributed among the police national support units and 17 regional offices of the country consisting of patrol cars, troop carriers, trucks, buses, and motorcycles.
The PNP has an annual procurement program for 500 motor vehicles, 5,000 handguns, and other mission-essential equipment.
It will also procure this year six light attack helicopters and 35 medium troop carriers to be used by line units in internal security operations, and 40 Scene of the Crime Operations vans.
Malacañang has approved a P10-billion modernization fund that will allow the PNP to acquire more equipment for mobility, firepower, communication, and investigation.
PNP spokesman Nicanor Bartolome said the police leadership is pushing more resources and logistics to the field to meet the operational requirements of police units and personnel to develop all police stations in the country into "fighting units" against criminality, insurgency and terrorism.
Also in Camp Crame last Thursday, Puno and Razon inaugurated the PNP Fitness Center at the PNP Gymnasium that is equipped with modern workout machines and gym equipment.
The PNP Fitness Center is supervised by professional fitness and body-building instructors. (VR/Sunnex)
