1,011 WV cops train on contact tracing

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) declared that it will become more aggressive in contact tracing efforts amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, Western Visayas police chief, made the announcement Monday, as the region grapples to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“I want results,” Pamuspusan told provincial and city police directors in a teleconference on Aug 31.

PRO-6 certainly could afford to be active given that they have already trained personnel on contract tracing.

Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division (RIDMD) data showed that PRO-6 has trained 1,011 personnel on contract tracing techniques.

The training was held Aug 20.

The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) trained its personnel on Aug 26 while the rest of the city and provincial offices in the region had their trainings on Aug 27.

The teams were trained along with personnel from the Department of Health and local health units, the local government units, Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT).

The seminar was conducted in coordination with Department of Health (DOH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST). It will be cascaded to the barangay level.

While the PNP is just a member of the contact tracing team, the police must still be at the forefront, Pamuspusan said.

“Our policemen should be the most active member of the composite team by providing transportation to ease travels during the course of contact tracing and communicate with the barangay on updates or whereabouts of persons being monitored or have had contact with COVID-19 patients,” he added.

The region’s top cop again stressed that contact tracing is a valuable strategy in the prevention and eventually eliminating the infection.

He said that the police play an essential role in contact tracing because they have the basic investigation skills and can easily be mobilized.

After all, “our personnel are capable and willing,” Pamuspusan said.

In the past months, he noted that PRO-6 has been very active in COVID-19 response and prevention efforts.