Fifty uniformed personnel from the lone district of Apayao are undergoing criminal investigation training to help speed up the resolution of cases and avoid the dismissal of criminal cases due to technicalities.

The provincial government-sponsored training began on May 2 at the LMP Hall, Apayao Eco-Tourism Sports Complex in San Gregorio, Luna town and will last for 45 days.

Like in most parts of the country, Police Col. Jefferson Cariaga, Provincial Director of the Apayao Police Provincial Office, said in an interview Thursday there is a need to capacitate more uniformed personnel to level up their knowledge and skills in investigating criminal complaints and cases.

Cariaga thanked Governor Elias Bulut Jr. for supporting the training of the uniformed personnel composed of 39 members from the Philippine National Police, seven from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and two each from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

Police chief Master Sergeant Edwin Mangoba, a senior investigator, said they included participants from the BJMP, AFP, and BFP because they also need the special skills of a case investigator in their line of work.

Among the topics to be discussed are the efficient processing of crime scene, gathering of evidence/s, filing of cases in court, building up case scenarios, and preparation of case folder and a mock trial.

“Our governor wants cases to be resolved immediately and give justice to the victims the soonest possible time,” said Cariaga, citing the importance of the training to improve police-community relations.

Currently, the Apayao police only have five to six investigators deployed per station.

Ideally, at least 17 percent of the total force should compose of investigators classified as general investigators or tasked to process all types of cases or special cases involving women and children, among others. (PNA)