Shorter cop wannabes now accepted

By Marites T. Launio

Police wannabes who are vertically challenged can now aim high and reach for their dreams.

Senior Superintendent Arante Pfleider of Camp Martin Delgado's Police Community Relations said they received a fax from the National Police Commission Central Office providing for the new height requirements for police aspirants.

Under the present hiring rules, male aspirants must be at 1 meter and 64 millimeters, while female aspirants should at least be 1 meter and 57 millimeters. The new height requirement is ¼ of an inch shorter from the previous standard.

Commenting on the new height requirement, Pfleider welcomed these, saying it is “...good because this now suits the Filipino height. This is specially designed for Filipino people.”

At the same time, recruitment would now start at the municipal level and not directly from the PRO6, he said.

“More changes will take place but applications submitted by applicants who applied last May 1-15, 2005 in the Municipal Level were already screened by the Municipal Peace & Order Council Screening Committee and those who passed the initial screening were endorsed to the Provincial Police Screening Committee and those who passed the Provincial level were endorsed in the Regional Police Screening Committee where I am chairman and co-chaired by NAPOLCOM's Asst. Regional Director Atty. Cabaral. From there, we will see because we are still re-phrasing some rules but we have already fixed the guideline on the height issue,” he explained.

“They gave us no reasons but said that it was done to improve the Rules on Screening of police aspirants so as to get only the most qualified and the best applicants for the benefit of the force and the people it is serving,” Pfleider said.

Pfleider said that these changes are being undertaken for the betterment of the police force.

He also asked previous and interested applicants to wait patiently as acceptance of applications can resume anytime this year.

“It will not take long and it will resume, be patient about it,” he said.