A total of 64 organic male and female personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the provinces of Negros Oriental and Siquijor have completed the 35-day Criminal Investigation Course held in Dumaguete City, the capital of Negros Oriental.
Of the number, 15 are from Siquijor, four are from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) local office with one non-uniformed personnel, and the rest are from the different police stations of Negros Oriental.
Sr. Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, chief of the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division 7 (RIDMD7) of the PNP Regional Office-7 (PRO-7) in Cebu City disclosed that this is the first of a series of criminal investigation courses for police personnel in line with the PNP’s target of a 100 percent conviction of criminal cases filed in court.
The NOPPO has more than 1,300 organic personnel with more than 200 investigators assigned at the different investigation desks at the police stations having undergone a full course on criminal investigation.
The target is to have at least 20 percent of the remaining number of the police investigators of the NOPPO trained on criminal investigation by the year end, Lawas explained.
According to him, there is a need for police personnel to undergo not just seminars or lectures but proper training on criminal investigation to equip them with the necessary skills to go beyond the usual drills of investigating a case.
In many instances, a case gets dismissed in court due to improper investigation, he noted.
Sr. Supt. Lawas, who happens to be the Criminal Investigation Course director, told the class during the graduation rites Monday at a local hotel here that he is 99 percent confident the graduates will being a great job as investigators after completing the course.
“We can now attain the dream of a 100 percent conviction of cases filed (in court). I hope you are with me and I hope you will not fail us”, Lawas challenged the graduates.
According to him, the completion of the course is not the end but the start of a new undertaking for the police personnel in giving justice to support the efforts of the governor, the Chief PNP and the PNP regional director, as well as the hardships of the resource persons and training staff.
“We expect you to apply what you have learned in class with utmost dedication”, Lawas said.
He expressed optimism that Governor Roel Degamo will follow through with his promise to subsidize training for the next batch of police personnel to undergo the said criminal course investigation.
Sr. Supt. Lawas lauded the governor for being supportive of the PNP’s efforts to professionalize the organization and its personnel, even since the beginning of his political career as a barangay captain up until he became the governor of the province.
According to Lawas, the ideal number of formally-trained investigators per police station is six. However, due to some constraints, the minimum number is placed at four, including the female investigator assigned at the PNP’s Women and Children’s Concerns Desk (WCCD).
Meanwhile, SPO Tommy A. Tan, who topped the class and was elected class president, expressed gratitude in behalf of his batch-mates for the course which he describes would help develop general understanding and provide skills on crime investigation.
Their class has gained the knowledge of how important criminal investigation is to the justice system.
Non-Academic Awards and Awards of Excellence were also handed over to the deserving graduates of the 1st Criminal Investigation Course this year in Negros Oriental. (PNA)
