Alaminos Mayor, COP sharpen police effectiveness

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

ALAMINOS CITY – The mayor and the chief of police (COP) of this Western Pangasinan City have honed the effectiveness of the police force here through the activation of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and the procurement of additional vehicles.

Members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team
menacingly prowl an urban area for bad guys. Photo Credit:
Pinterest

Police Superintendent Benjamin P. Ariola said that he introduced lately to this City’s Mayor Arthur F. Celeste the indispensability of the SWAT thus the Refresher Training Course for his selected policemen.

“The team was activated for purposes of quick emergency response in high risk situation and crisis incident operation,” Ariola, a member of the Philippine National Police Academy's Class 2000, stressed.

SWAT, according to Wikipidea, is a term for police units which use specialized military equipment and tactics. First created in the United States in the 1960s to handle riot control or violent confrontations with criminals, the number and usage of SWAT teams increased in the 1980s and 1990s during the War on Drugs War and later in the aftermath of the terrorist September 11  attacks where thousands have died.

This city had been one of the earlier and few local government units in the 44 towns and 4 cities’ Pangasinan to have almost narcotics free villages in the province.

Mayor Celeste recently turned over to this City’s police station a new Strada Pick Up and motorcycles during the flag raising ceremony held at Plaza Braganza.

Ariola said the gestures of the mayor in his all - out support for the law enforcers were laudable.

“To expedite police response in the campaign against all forms of criminality for a safe place to live, work and do business in the City of Alaminos,” he cited the presence of the new vehicles.