WV police draws up procedures in crisis management
Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao Jr., police regional director, yesterday gathered members of the regional staff and commanders of different Special Weapons and Tactics units for a crisis management workshop.
The seminar drew up step-by-step procedures in managing hostage dramas and handling media coverage should a similar event like the crisis in Quirino Grandstand in Manila last Monday occur in Western Visayas.
Pagdilao said it is time for the Police Regional Office 6 to dissect the dynamics of a hostage incident to come up with well-defined course of actions that will serve as a guide in addressing crisis incidents.
Also part of the workshop’s objective is to formulate step-by-step procedures that the crisis management team along with its SWAT units, pool of negotiators, crowd control team, and media relations team will have to implement from the time a hostage incident was reported to the police up to the time when negotiation with the hostage-taker fails and that tactical maneuver is required.
Pagdilao also directed the Regional Public Information Office to draw up a protocol that will define the proper conduct of the media in covering hostage incident and other crises.
Although the police cannot force a news blackout, Pagdilao said the police and the media can come up with a set of ground rules that both institutions can observe and adhere to such as self-restriction of live coverage to avoid circumstances that may jeopardize police operations.
Local media that cover the regional headquarters beat have expressed willingness to support and cooperate with PRO6 in the formulation of a set of guidelines or protocol that can be observed in the conduct of coverage and in disseminating timely and accurate information.
Last Tuesday, Pagdilao also directed all police commanders in PRO6 to conduct an immediate review of their respective crisis management and decision making capabilities and to speed-up the preparation for upcoming simulation exercises on crisis management.
Pagdilao said that yesterday’s workshop will pave the way for the continuous training and repetitive conduct of simulation exercises of special police units in handling crises like hostage taking and terrorist attacks.*
