Bacolod city: Some 319 new police recruits will be deployed to police stations across Western Visayas after completing six months of basic training, boosting the Philippine National Police's efforts to address personnel shortages and strengthen its anti-criminality campaign. Brig. Gen. Randulf Tua±o, director of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas, administered the oath of the recruits, who were selected from more than 1,500 applicants for regular and attrition recruitment.

According to Philippines News Agency, Tua±o highlighted that personnel strength remains a concern in the region's campaign against crime, but he praised the screening committee's efforts to select qualified applicants. Despite the additional personnel, the region still falls short of the ideal police-to-population ratio. Tua±o noted, "There are towns that are close to 500, but for those over 1,000, the local police closely coordinate with local government units for force multipliers."

The recruits will undergo the six-month Public Safety Basic Recruit Course at the Regional Training Center in Bacolod City. Upon completion of the course, they will be assigned to police stations, where they will gain experience in investigation, operations, and police-community relations, among other areas. Tua±o expressed hope that during training, the recruits would internalize the kind of service they will face as members of the Philippine National Police.

Additionally, Tua±o instructed the training director to incorporate financial literacy into the recruits' sessions. The police regional office is also considering including driving in the training program, following a directive from Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla that all recruits should learn how to drive motorcycles and four-wheel vehicles.