The
local Philippine National Police (PNP) is
housed in the Municipal Hall in Barangay Poblacion
and has a floor area of 48 square meters.
The existing police force has a total strength
of eighteen (18): one (1) Chief of Police
and seventeen (17) Police National; Central
Officer (PNCOs) yielding a ratio of one (1)
policeman per 2,379 persons. Their basic armaments,
facilities and equipment includes: twelve
(12) rifle caliber 5.56, seven (7) rifle caliber
7.62, eleven (11) pistol caliber 9MM, one
(1) revolver caliber 38, one (1) base radio,
three (3) hand held radios, typewriter, tables,
benches and chairs. The headquarter has also
one (1) jail cell with an adjoining toilet.
Moreover,
a police outpost has been established at Barangay
Centro Toma, about five meters away from the
satellite market. This is to prevent all forms
of crime and illegal activities especially
during market days.
The
police officers are tasked with the responsibility
of enforcing the law, maintaining peace and
order, preventing and controlling crimes and
ensuring public safety and internal security
in the town. Aside from campaign against loose
firearms, drug addiction, illegal gambling,
cattle-rustling and smuggling, information
drive is also conducted against insurgency.
Also, these uniformed men serve subpoenas
and warrants of arrest; and give security
assistance to important visitors. Likewise,
police visibility through mobile / foot patrol,
visitations and “pulong-pulong”,
is one of its priorities. They also conduct
training and seminars for CVO’s/Barangay
Tanods. With these police achievements / activities,
the municipality is generally peaceful.
On the other hand, a fire department is also
housed at the municipal ground floor with
an area of 42 square meters. The Department
is manned by six (6) fire officers, one (1)
municipal fire marshal and five (5) fire fighting
officers. Each fireman serves 7,137 persons.
The Office is equipped with one (1) fire truck,
fire coats, fire boots, fire helmets, fire
hoses, fire nozzles, extension ladder and
hand held radios.
Civic Sector
and Community Participation
A
contributory factor to the prevalent peace
and order in the town is the participation
of the citizenry in the barangay level. All
the barangays have Lupong Tagapamayapa chaired
by the Punong Barangay whose main function
is to encourage amicable settlements of disputes.
The “Pangkat ng Tagapagsundo”
is the conciliation panel of the Lupong Tagapamayapa.
In
the forefront are the Civilian Volunteer Organizations
or CVO’s. The CVO’s replaced the
para-military unit Civilian Armed Forces Geographical
Unit (CAFGU) who were oriented and trained
for basic military preparedness and tasked
to fight the insurgents in the mountainous
barangays. Nowadays, the CVO’s merely
consist of traffic / auxiliary / disaster
brigades and barangay tanods.
It
was mandated that each barangay shall have
its own CVO composed of residents with experiences
or capabilities to act as peace officers of
the community. Members of CVO are appointed
by the Punong Barangay upon recommendation
by the Barangay Councilmen. These volunteers,
as the term connotes, are without salaries
or allowances. Their services are rendered
for free. However, some barangay councils
have set aside in their budgets certain amounts
by way of honoraria and incentives of the
tanods.
Specifically,
these barangay peace officers assist local
policemen in the maintenance of peace and
order especially during market days, fiestas
and other holidays, including traffic routes
implementation, surveillance works, and “rondas”
at night. Likewise, they patrol critical areas
to prevent commission of crimes, rescue /
assist victims of criminal acts / disaster;
and act as marshal during public events and
even those of private concerns such as funerals.
More often these CVO’s are visible in
street intersections and crowded areas assisting
police officers.
The
CVO’s / barangay tanods are under the
supervision of the Chief Tanod, who in turn,
is responsible to the Punong Barangay. Depending
on the number of inhabitants, the peace and
order situation, and available able-bodied
volunteers, membership of the CVO varies.
In Bani, the organized CVO’s have a
total number of 243.
Crime
and Fire Incidences
As recorded by the PNP Headquarters, in 2001,
there were thirty-six (36) crimes committed.
As per police blotter, child abuse ranked
as No. 1 with ten (10) reported cases or 27.8
percent, followed by rape with six (6) cases
or 16.7 percent.
In 2002, crime incidence decreased by nineteen
(19) or 47 percent. All of the crimes committed
were index crimes namely murder, frustrated
murder, rape, robbery and attempted homicide.
As
to incidence of fire, it was only in 2002
that fire incidents had occurred in Bani.
Based from the record, there were seven (7)
fire incidences that happened from January
to December of the said year. Of these, six
(6) were structural fires caused by electrical
faulty wiring and gas leaks and one (1) frustrated
Arson.
The Bureau of Fire personnel continuously
provides information, education and campaign
on the mission of fire prevention and encourage
household owners to have ready equipment like
pail of water, fire extinguisher and ladder
for emergency purposes.
Before issuance of license and building permits,
the BFP conducts regular inspection of new
establishments if there are fire extinguishers
and other fire fighting equipments and whether
there are leakages of gas tanks.
Firemen and Fire Equipment
Aside from the increasing police force, it
is also imperative for the municipal government
to hire additional firemen based on the standard
of one (1) fireman to 2,000 population and
considering the number of establishments and
structures in the municipality that have to
be secured and protected.
The Bureau of Fire Protection housed at the
municipal ground floor needs to be expanded
and renovated in order to occupy the additional
personnel as computed.
2.3. Others
The functions and responsibilities of civilian
volunteers and the whole populace of the municipality
should be properly defined in order to improve
their participation and performance in maintaining
peace and order situation.
Likewise, it is imperative to have frequent
dialogues and trainings to be conducted to
improve coordination among the citizenry,
non-government organizations, government law
enforcers, and local officials in solving
and preventing crimes and fire incidences.
An increase in the incentives for Civilian
Volunteer Organizations could also be motivators
for better performance.
