MANILA, Philippines – A non-governmental organization committed to join the Philippine National Police (PNP) in maintaining order in the country’s roads and in conducting the campaign against criminality.

Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) and the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) signed on Monday, November 20, a memorandum of agreement allowing the group’s members to become backups to uniformed personnel.

“The second party (PNP) shall fully support the first party (CCW) through the utilization of CCW riders as force multipliers in every region throughout the country,” their agreement reads.

PNP HPG and CCW ink the memorandum of agreement allowing CCW members to provide backup as "force multipliers" pic.twitter.com/xyXLCyyvYL

— Rambo Talabong (@rambotalabong) November 20, 2017

During the press conference that followed the signing of their agreement, CCW founder and president Jose Malvar Villegas Jr said they have 500,000 members, with 10,000 “potential CCW riders” to help out the 1,500-strong PNP HPG.

PNP HPG head Chief Superintendent Arnel Escobal said the CCW riders will primarily help with traffic enforcement duties, but must also be on alert to report crime when they see it.

This includes riding-in-tandem gunmen which are currently the top targets of the PNP. (READ: PNP’s next target: ‘Riding-in-tandem’ shooters)

The backup forces will be issued an identification card made by the CCW so that motorists and authorities can immediately recognize them. They cannot issue traffic violation tickets but can hold erring drivers until police or enforcers come.

LOOK: IDs the CCW will issue to their backups to the PNP HPG pic.twitter.com/MrJCA0zkgj

— Rambo Talabong (@rambotalabong) November 20, 2017

To prevent abuse, the PNP HPG designed a training program for the CCW volunteers. Should abuse happen, Escobal said, the partnership will be terminated.

The partnership will first be implemented in Metro Manila. It is still unclear, however, when it will begin. – Rappler.com