Training for Visayas sniper instructors on
Forty-two police commissioned and non-commissioned officers from three Visayan regions are gathered Iloilo City for the 10-day sniper instructors training that started Monday afternoon.
Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, police regional director, said there has been an inventory of skills as an offshoot of the hostage incident in Manila last month to include the capability on negotiation, Special Weapon and Tactics assault and sniping skills.
“As a result of that inventory we found out that there is really a need to enhance the capability of our unit especially the skills needed for special operations like hostage, rescue operations and things like that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director for Operations Benjamin Belarmino Jr., guest of honor during the opening ceremony, emphasized the three important points of the training.
These include rifle handling in reference to the problem that was observed during the Quirino incident; task of range officers who are expected to echo their learning back in their respective provinces; and safety.
Meanwhile, Pagdilao said the participants from PRO 6 will become the region’s pool of trainers in Western Visayas and they are expected to train more snipers from other police units.
“At the very least, in each city or municipality there has to be one crack team of snipers equivalent to eight per local police station,” he said.
The participants are composed of 12 representatives each from Regions 6, 7 and 8 and three each from the Aviation Security Group and Regional Maritime Office 6.*PNA
