US DOJ pledges more support for PNP

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 3): US DOJ pledges more support for PNP
 
Ambassador William Brownfield, assistant secretary for International Narcotics Law Enforcement Affairs of the US Department of Justice, pledged more support to the Philippine National Police in its efforts to secure the southwestern Philippines against criminals and other threat groups.

Brownfield made this statement shortly after meeting with PNP Director General Alan L. Purisima in Camp Crame, Quezon City Tuesday.

Tackled during their meeting were prospects for better cooperation and technical assistance by the US DOJ to the PNP thru the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program.

“We have an excellent degree of cooperation that has existed between the law enforcement agencies of the US and Philippines,” Brownfield said.

“This cooperation, that we have developed over the past ten years will continue,” he added.

The INL is a line bureau of the US DOJ that funds ICITAP courses and infrastructure granted to the PNP and to other Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance Training projects.

Since the establishment of the ICITAP-Philippines Field Office in 2006, various police training and development projects had been created with emphasis on building the PNP’s law enforcement capability.

ICITAP focuses its initiatives and accompanying resources in three key projects, namely; the Model Police Station, the Maritime Police–Special Boat Unit, and the Southern Philippines Law Enforcement Development.

The ICITAP-funded SBU has been fully operational since 2010, currently, with a fleet of six 10-meter patrol boats currently deployed in Palawan and Tawi-Tawi.

The SBU is supported by a fully-functional marine police facility including offices, billets, boat dock, ramp, fuel point, vessel and equipment storage and boat maintenance capability.

The SBU has confiscated assets, and contraband worth USD1.23-million over the past three years of operation that resulted in the arrest of341maritime law offenders and seizure of 18 vessels engaged in human trafficking, illegal fishing, poaching and harvesting of exoticwildlife, shellfish and turtles; smuggling of cigarettes and petroleum; and trafficking in illegal drugs and weapons.

The US ICITAP also funded the development of forensic investigation capability of the PNP Crime Laboratory n Western Mindanao with adonation of a new building and equipment to six satellite provincial crime laboratories.

From an initial 11 model police stations in 2007, ICITAP provided training and equipment packages to 15 more MPS until the end of 2009.

ICITAP has been a partner with the PNP Training Service in implementing the instructor development course to fully maximize the capability of the training service in facilitating course for PNP personnel.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=561817