By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) has introduced an SMS-based anti-criminality reporting system to boost the efficiency of its crime response efforts. Police Colonel Rainerio de Chavez, Nocppo director, spearheaded the soft launch of “Project Dasig” at the Talisay City Police Station last Wednesday.
The project was initiated in Talisay City due to its proximity to Bacolod but was also rolled out simultaneously in 11 other city police stations across the province. “One Button SMS,” the mobile application utilized for the initiative, can be downloaded and is compatible with Android devices.
De Chavez revealed that he initially conceptualized the project during his brief assignment in Rizal. He is now considering expanding it to municipal police stations throughout the province and eventually to every individual.
The application is designed to quickly send an “SOS or Emergency Message” to territorial police stations when a crime occurs. In response, the nearest police personnel deployed will be dispatched immediately and can even be activated offline.
“Our goal is to shorten crime response time,” de Chavez stated. “Coupled with a strategic deployment plan of the police station, we expect the police response to be less than or at most three minutes.”
The initial rollout targets banks, financial institutions, and businesses operating on a 24-hour basis, such as gasoline stations and convenience stores, which are frequent targets of robbers.
De Chavez mentioned that mapping of all vital installations and other establishments for pre-registration is underway to ensure the system can instantly detect calls for help. This approach will also help deter prank reporting, as unregistered numbers will not be able to access the system.
He also clarified that while the project primarily focuses on establishments, police can respond to any crime, such as shootings or stabbings, as long as they receive a call for help from a registered establishment.
“That’s the challenging part. That’s why I told the police to assess every situation and to always be ready to respond,” he emphasized.
The project aligns with the directives of Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), who promotes the use of technology in smart policing strategies.
