Police Ready for Bullying Outside School
Students and parents can now rely on police support through 911 for bullying-related incidents, especially those occurring outside school grounds, local leaders said. The Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Nicolas Torre III, emphasized that policemen manning hotlines are trained to handle bullying concerns as schools nationwide reopen for over 27 million students.
Gen. Torre explained, “The first response of our call takers is to coordinate with local police stations which in turn should coordinate with concerned school heads. The police and school authorities will work together to monitor bullying.” This collaboration aims to provide timely assistance to victims and their families.
Police Deployment and School Safety Efforts
During his inspection of several Quezon City schools on the first day of classes, Torre assured the public of active police intervention in bullying cases outside school premises. Authorities deployed more than 37,000 policemen and established over 5,000 police assistance desks to ensure a safe school environment.
As of Monday morning, the opening of classes was generally peaceful. However, Torre stressed that all assigned police officers remain alert and ready to respond. He instructed commanders to apply fixed visibility point prioritization, focusing patrols near schools to deter harmful activities targeting students.
Preventing Student Victimization
“Our commanders have been analyzing beforehand where policemen should conduct patrol. With the school opening, the focus are areas near schools,” Torre said. He highlighted the importance of preventing various schemes that put students at risk, especially outside the school vicinity.
The PNP chief assured the public that every effort would be made to protect students, emphasizing rapid police response to all calls for help. Torre reiterated his commitment to a five-minute police response time and encouraged parents to use 911 whenever needed.
“We assure the parents that your PNP will be watching over your children with the goal of protecting them and ensuring that their learning environment is safe and peaceful,” he said. “To our kababayan, including parents, please don’t look for us in the police stations. Just dial 911 and we will be there in five minutes.”
For more news and updates on bullying outside school, visit Filipinokami.com.