GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The Police Regional Office-12 (PRO-12) has deployed additional 285 police personnel to six provincial and city police offices in the region to augment security operations for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Supt. Aldrin Gonzales, PRO-12 public information officer, on Wednesday said the additional policemen were primarily assigned to help secure various public areas and vital facilities during the holidays.
Gonzales said the augmentation was based on a directive issued by Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco, PRO-12 regional director.
Divided in six groups, the police personnel were deployed starting Tuesday (Dec. 11) and will remain in their assignments until January 6.
“They will assist personnel in our lower units in securing some ongoing Christmas festivals and other related activities,” Gonzales said in an interview.
The policemen will also be deployed in teams to secure local churches, shopping malls, transport terminals, beach resorts and major places of convergence.
Gonzales said the augmented personnel were among the new 485 Police Officers (PO) 1 who graduated last week from the 60-day Basic Internal Security Operation Course or BISOC.
BISOC is considered as the last phase of training for new PO1s before they are deployed to mobile force units.
The training program was facilitated by experts from the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Philippine National Police Special Action Force.
Gonzales said the new PO1s will report back to the regional headquarters in Barangay Tambler here and will be assigned to the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-12 and the provincial and city mobile force companies in the area.
“They are required to serve at least five years in their units before they would be allowed to apply for transfer or seek other assignments,” he added.
