By PNA
GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The local police is planning to establish upgraded living quarters in major checkpoints to further strengthen security operations in the city’s entry and exit points.
Senior Supt. Raul Supiter, city police director, said Thursday they are working on the acquisition of surplus container vans that will be refurbished into temporary living quarters for police personnel manning the checkpoints.
Supiter said the move is a component of the “strong checkpoints project”, which covers 10 areas in the city.
Each container van will have a room set up with double-deck beds, rest area, receiving area, kitchen and comfort room, the police official said. Each unit will also be equipped with television sets and closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera systems.
Supiter said personnel assigned at the checkpoints may use the facilities to rest, dine, take a bath and fulfill their other personal needs after duty and while waiting for their respective shifts.
“Right now, we don’t have any of these and our personnel could not even properly relieve themselves while on duty,” he said, adding that the presence of living quarters right at the checkpoint areas will ensure uninterrupted security operations.
Rocked by a bomb explosion on Sept. 16, the city is currently under Alert Level 3 due to continuing security threats, police said.
“This is something that we really need to do amidst the persistent threats,” Supiter said.
The project will be implemented on a progressive basis in collaboration with local stakeholders, he said, adding that city police personnel initially contributed PHP400 each as initial funding.
Several companies have already committed to contribute for the purchase and remodeling of the container vans, which costs PHP250,000 each.
A business and a religious groups have pledged to provide at least 10 sacks of rice a month for every checkpoint unit, Supiter said.
City Councilor Franklin Gacal Jr., chair of the council’s committee on public order and safety, said he has already asked the local police to provide the City Council with a proposal so that the project can be funded under the city’s peace and order budget.
