(Yearender) PNP to develop air capability

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 29): (Yearender) PNP to develop air capability

Realizing the value of airpower in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced that plans are now afoot to provide the law enforcement agency with its fixed and rotary capability.

The importance of this lesson was further hammered when Tacloban City, during the onslaught of Supertyphoon "Yolanda" last Nov. 8, was rendered isolated along with its police contingent.

"When Tacloban City (was hit by 'Yolanda') no one can get in or out as all exit and entry points in the locality were chocked by debris. If we had an air capability we could have utilize that particular asset to help our stricken countrymen," PNP Director General Alan Purisima said.

"We will be requesting (our legislators) to provide us the necessary funds so we can start developing our air capability so we can respond quickly to similar situations," he added.

Purisima said that the PNP used to have a small airlift capability provided by a small helicopter fleet.

However, this was gradually wiped as aircraft rendered unserviceable, were not repaired due to lack of funding, thus retarding the PNP's airlift capability.

Aside from rotary wing assets, Purisima added that they are looking at the possibility of acquiring fixed wing assets to help them in their surveillance disaster response roles.

He declined to give the exact amount or how much this would entail as the plan is still undergoing study.

Other equipment being eyed for the PNP include small watercraft, armored personnel carriers, assault rifles and patrol cars.

This aims to beef up the patrol capabilities of the law enforcement agencies, especially in provinces with rebel remnants still operating.

All of these are undergoing study as of this posting.

As this developed, the PNP chief said that an initial P200-million was allocated to police units in the Eastern Visayas region.

The money will allow law enforcement units there to repair damages inflicted to police installations and acquired equipment lost during the onslaught of "Yolanda".

Purisima added that the balance of the 74,000 plus Glock 17 Generation 4 pistols ordered were delivered last Dec. 22 and these will be distributed to weaponless police officers.

An initial 59,904 units of Glock 17 Generation 4 pistols were delivered on the last weeks of December 2012, a few before the resignation of then PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome.

The pistol received its baptism of fire last August when Glock 17 Generation 4 pistol equipped members of the Special Action Front (SAF) shot and killed four members of a gun-for-hire group in Cagayan.

When confronted, the armed group engaged the arresting officers in a brief firefight wherein four suspects were killed on the spot.

SAF troops recovered from the scene the armed group’s hardware that include two M-16 automatic rifles, two Garand rifles and two .38 caliber revolvers.

The SAF troops noted the reliability and sustained firepower performance of the Glock 17 Generation 4 in its “baptism by fire” in actual combat.

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