Negros Oriental’s provincial police chief, Col. Rizalito Gapas, on Friday announced he has directed police personnel to establish a personal relationship with the community.
Gapas disclosed plans on how police personnel could reach out to the people, during the Kapihan sa PIA forum, held in observance of National Crime Prevention Week.
He said he believes that establishing a personal relationship with the locals would earn their trust in the police organization.
“I will require them to engage, to talk to the community, and be known by their nicknames,” Gapas said, adding that the police will visit establishments, institutions, and the communities they serve.
He noted that if police officers are known only by their family name, this is not personal but simply work, because police personnel can be easily identified by the surnames on the name patch on their uniforms.
“That is what the community should also do, to know their police officers personally, and not just the police chief,” Gapas said.
Knowing police officers personally would make it easy to trust and seek help from them, he added.
Gapas acknowledged that earning the public’s trust is difficult nowadays, because the police organization is portrayed in a negative way, including by the media.
“Makakahingi ba siya ng tulong sa media? Ma-a-address ba ng media ang kanyang kailangang responde? Hindi! (Can people ask help from the media? Can the media address the specific response requested? No!),” he said.
If people lose trust in the police, they will put matters into their own hands, and “that is the end of order,” Gapas said.
Gapas was named OIC director of the provincial police on Aug, 14, replacing Col. Raul Tacaca, following the spate of killings in the province in July.
The killings, including the death of four police intelligence officers, sparked public outrage, and many people called for an immediate solution to them. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
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