NAPOLCOM official weighs in on taping of cops' guns during holidays

An National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) official on Wednesday said he believed that the practice of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to seal the service firearms of police officers with masking tape during the holidays was unnecessary.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, NAPOLCOM vice chairperson and executive officer Rafael Vicente Calinisan said the practice of taping the gun’s muzzle to deter them from indiscriminate firing was just for drama.

“Ang personal kong paniniwala, hindi rin kailangang selyuhan 'yung baril. We need to trust our Philippine National Police officers. Ano ba naman yung magagawa ng masking tape sa ibabaw ng baril? Drama lang yan. Di na natin kailangan gawin ‘yan,” he said.

(My personal belief is, there is no need to seal the guns. We need to trust our Philippine National Police officers. What can the masking tape on top of the gun do? That’s just drama. We don’t need to do that.)

He added that any police officer who fires his or her firearm indiscriminately during the holidays will be held accountable, regardless of whether the gun had a masking tape seal or not.

“I’m very sure na ‘di naman mamumutok ang mga member ng PNP and the men and women in uniform will make sure na safe po ang Pasko at New Year ng bawat Pilipino,” Calinisan added.

(I’m very sure that the members of PNP will not fire indiscriminately and that the men and women in uniform will make sure that the Christmas and New Year of each Filipino is safe.)

Earlier, the PNP warned police personnel and firearms owners that a one-strike policy will be enforced against cops who will commit indiscriminate firing during this year’s Christmas and New Year holidays.

The one-strike policy is meant to curb injuries and deaths related from indiscriminate firing.

Police officers will face both administrative and criminal charges if they are found to have committed indiscriminate firing of their guns. — JMA, GMA Integrated News