LOOKING BEYOND THE MODEL POLICE STATION PROGRAM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 000558 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM PGOV PINS PREL RP SNAR SUBJECT: LOOKING BEYOND THE MODEL POLICE STATION PROGRAM ¶1. SUMMARY: The late January ceremony marking the successful completion of the Embassy's Model Police Station program received widespread media coverage and provided an opportunity for the Ambassador to publicly underscore the importance of respect for human rights by law enforcement personnel. The two-year project involved substantial training and personnel development components, as well as equipment donation, policy development, and implementation of community-policing endeavors at 10 PNP stations in a variety of community settings across the country. Some 169 courses provided training in 15 critical areas for 5,258 PNP officers, including 972 women. Pending available funding, planning is underway both to repeat the initial project's curriculum at 17 new stations, as well as to pursue 12 new areas of training at existing Model Police Stations. END SUMMARY. Background -------------- ¶2. By 2006, under the leadership of former Chief Avelino Razon, the Philippine National Police (PNP) began to implement its integrated transformation plan (ITP),a ten-year program of professionalization, policy development, infrastructure development, and capacity-building designed to meet international law enforcement standards. The ITP was an outgrowth of assessments conducted by the United Nations Development Program in 2005 and studies by a USG interagency team in 2006. Among the reform projects outlined in the ITP was the development of Model Police Stations that aimed "to integrate and showcase the PNP reforms and best practices in policing and police organization management within a defined locality under the jurisdiction of a municipal or city police office." ¶3. Once the desired best practices had been mastered at a model station, the PNP's intention was to utilize personnel from that station to assist in repeating those successes at neighboring police stations. For the initial implementation of the project, the PNP identified ten pilot sites scattered throughout Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao: Baguio, Boracay, Kalibo, Lapu-Lapu City, Marawi, Marikina City, Puerto Princesa, Quezon City, Sorsogon, and Zamboanga. These sites represent a diverse cross-section of Philippine society, including highly urbanized areas, rural regions, tourist destinations, and industrial areas. The number of station personnel ranged from 65 to almost 3,000. Recognizing that 
such diverse settings would require an individualized approach, a slightly different curriculum was developed at each station. More Just and Prosperous Society -------------- ¶4. Assisted by New Zealand's Ambassador, Ambassador Kenney presented the chiefs of ten Model Police Stations with certificates of completion during a January 22 ceremony at Philippine National Police headquarters that marked the successful completion of the Embassy's Model Police Station program. In her remarks, the Ambassador lauded Philippine efforts to upgrade its capabilities in order to address global challenges such as terrorism, trafficking in persons, as well as smuggling of narcotics and weapons. She went on to underscore the contribution that a properly trained, professional police force can make toward creating a just, peaceful, and prosperous society. In congratulating the assembled PNP personnel, the Ambassador highlighted the Model Police Station program as yet another example where U.S.-Philippine partnership helps support our shared democratic values and goals. Two-Tiered Approach, Plus Equipment Donations -------------- ¶5. With funding from the Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL),in February 2007 Embassy Manila launched the Model Police Station project; the U.S. Department of Justice's International Criminal Investigative Assistance Training Program (ICITAP) was contracted to deliver the program. ICITAP conducted training and other developmental activities in 15 critical areas via a two-tiered framework. Tier One initiatives included instructor development, community policing, basic crime scene investigation, police ethics, human rights, first line supervision, and civil disturbance management. Following successful completion of training in these basic areas, more advanced Tier Two initiatives covered criminal investigations, crimes against women and children, trafficking in persons, internal investigations, counterterrorism for patrol officers, media relations, MANILA 00000558 002 OF 002 mid-level management, and interviews and interrogations. Equipment donations totaled approximately $100,000, and for each Model Station included complete crime-scene processing kits, photographic equipment, plus computers, printers, LCD projectors, and related conference/classroom equipment. ¶6. During the project's two-year span, 169 training courses graduated 5,258 police officers (972, or 18 percent, of whom were women). Overall, some 170,136 officer-hours of classroom training were delivered, at a total cost to the USG of approximately $1.4 million. The personnel of the Model Police Stations exhibited tremendous initiative during this project and produced some remarkable outcomes. Observable improvement has been achieved in all 15 critical areas, but that improvement has been particularly stark in the areas of instructor development, community policing, and crime scene investigation. Our PNP colleagues have seized upon these training and development opportunities and now possess higher degrees of competence in areas of expertise that were previously severely lacking or completely nonexistent. Partnerships and Impacts -------------- ¶7. Over the life of the Model Police Station project, Embassy Manila has actively sought to partner with others who could help further project goals. Beginning in March 2008, the New Zealand Embassy has provided police instructors and advisers to assist with training and mentoring Model Police Station personnel. They have participated at project stations in Baguio, Kalibo, Marawi, Zamboanga, and metropolitan Manila, contributing to approximately 13 percent of the project's total activities. ¶8. The Model Police Station program has already yielded tangible benefits in the communities where they are found. Each Model Police Station now has in place policies that mandate on-the-streets community policing activities, as well as strict procedures governing the handling of all crime scenes. As an example of this success, the community policing outreach at the Lapu-Lapu Station (near Cebu, the nation's second-largest city) has virtually eliminated dangerous illegal mining operations, which had previously resulted in large numbers of explosives-related injuries and property damage. Another outgrowth of the program has been the development of 45 fully-qualified PNP instructors who have in turn delivered more than 30 training courses at other PNP stations, at no further cost to the Embassy. Next Steps -------------- ¶9. Embassy Manila is working with INL to identify funding available for continued engagement in model police station development. With Tier One and Tier Two of the Model Police Station project complete at ten sites, Embassy Manila, PNP, and other partners have identified two additional avenues of training that would complement previous efforts. PNP Chief Jesus Verzosa has directed police commanders of all 17 regions to each nominate one station for designation as a Model Police Station, with the intention of undertaking the same course of development activities accomplished at the initial ten sites. Secondly, additional development areas where USG-sponsored professionalization efforts would prove especially fruitful at the ten existing Model Stations comprise a proposed "Tier Three" of training and development in twelve additional areas. Additional Assistance to the PNP -------------- ¶10. While this first phase of U.S. Government assistance in support of PNP reform efforts has come to a close, much remains to be done to bring Philippine law enforcement capabilities more in line with international standards. Embassy Manila will continue to provide law enforcement assistance to help achieve this goal. We are forging ahead with a multimillion dollar maritime police project based in Palawan province, where newly constructed facilities and patrol vessels are expected to be in service by July. We also continue to be robustly engaged in police training and development projects in the Sulu Archipelago, ensuring that, as lasting peace finally comes to this conflict-affected region, police will stand ready to assume security functions that have heretofore been the responsibility of Philippine armed forces. KENNEY