The newly installed chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is considering the possibility of shortening police duty hours while ensuring the quality of service remains high.
PNP Chief PGen. Nicolas Torre III noted that one of his considerations is to impose an eight-hour cap on the duty hours of police officers assigned to street and community patrols.
The standard practice for PNP personnel remains work 12-hour shifts, based on information from the PNP Public Information Office.
Torre explained that the shortened duty hours aim to ensure that police officers remain alert around the clock, especially in urban centers such as Metro Manila.
"We’re looking into the possibility of shortening, giving them [police officers] reasonable hours for them to also have their own time for their families," Torre said during a press briefing.
"Kagaya ng ginawa ko noon sa Quezon City, lalo na dito sa NCR, we will try to see if 8-hour duty is viable pero pag 8 hours lang ang duty nila, I’ll make sure na walang pulis na nakaupo. I’ll make sure na walang pulis na nakatingin sa kaniyang cellphone, at walang pulis na nagliliwaliw," he added.
As part of this initiative, the new PNP chief vowed to personally go on air over the police radio to check on his personnel and make sure they stay awake while on duty in mobile units or community precincts.
Earlier, Torre disclosed his plan for the PNP to institutionalize a standard three-minute emergency response time across major urban areas to ensure quicker law enforcement action.
