Barba wants gun owners as ‘police buddies’
LINGAYEN–It appears arming the barangay chairmen in the province with shotguns ostensibly to help maintain peace and order in the province is not enough.
The police provincial director now wants to tap the more than 10, 000 prospective licensed gun owners in Pangasinan as an additional force multiplier’ of the police to help maintain peace and order in the province.
Senior Supt. Percival Barba said licensed gun owners would qualify to preserve peace and order in Pangasinan since they have secured clearance, taken neuro-psychiatric examination, and are presumed to be law-abiding citizens and of good moral character otherwise they would not be issued licenses as gun owners.
He said under the Peace and Order Council and the chiefs of police, the licensed gun owners can be force multipliers and can be deemed automatic members unless they refuse to join.
The police expect about 10,430 unregistered firearms, owned by some 6,000 persons, to be registered this month under the ongoing firearm amnesty program.
He said the licensed gun owners will be effective as police ‘buddies’ as members of the police auxiliary unit (PAU).
He has appointed P/Supt. Gerardo Roxas to head the PAU in coordination with Board Member Amadeo Espino in the latter’s capacity as chairman of the Committee on Public Order and Safety in the provincial board.
Meanwhile, Supt. Rodolfo Castil Jr., police chief of Urdaneta City, said that from August 1 to September 2009, the station had processed 15 applications for unregistered/loose firearms in his area, mostly involving caliber .45 while another 27 applications were processed for unrenewed firearms, mostly 9 mm pistols.
Three other police operations in Urdaneta resulted in the confiscation of two caliber .38 revolvers with five live ammunitions and one caliber .45 in August and September respectively.#
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