POLICE Regional Office in Western Visayas Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. urged the province's police officers to ensure the safety of the entire Negros Occidental community against crime.
"We must ensure the safety of our community. As President Benigno Aquino III said, the people are our boss," Pagdilao told all the unit commanders of different cities and municipalities of the province during his first visit to the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office (Noppo).
Pagdilao has ordered all the unit commanders of the PNP to follow the principles of crime prevention, high police visibility, and check-point operations in their respective area of responsibility.
Pagdilao exhorted Noppo officers to live up to the tenet that "the community is the police and the police the community."
"We know that we lack PNP personnel. We need to rely on our people to organize, mobilize and transform into active partners so that the PNP can become more effective in crime prevention," he stressed.
He also emphasized to unit commanders the importance of active intelligence work with the community as a key to crime prevention.
Pagdilao also urged the police officers to keep themselves updated with the latest technology in solving crimes to strengthen their investigative skills.
Pagdilao also stressed the need for police personnel to be equipped and prepared to handle disasters. (Merlinda A. Pedrosa)