MANILA, Philippines – The Senate has passed on third and final reading a bill that seeks to give the Philippine National Police (PNP) control over police training, from newbies to veterans in the service.

The Senate approved Senate Bill 1898 on Tuesday, August 28.

What the bill wants: The bill seeks to transfer the responsibility to train police recruits from the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) to the PNP.

This means transferring supervision of the PNP Academy and the National Police Training Institute (NPTI) from the PPSC to the PNP.

Police training 101: The PNP Academy trains commissioned cops or those with the rank of Police Inspector and up. The NPTI trains non-commissioned cops or those with the rank of Senior Police Officer IV and below. 

The instruction of these two institutions, colloquially called “schooling” in the police force, are required of cops who seek promotion.

The PNP Academy also trains cadets who automatically become Police Inspectors after at least 4 years at the academy’s base in Camp Castañeda in Cavite. The NPTI, meanwhile, trains civilians who become newbie cops after at least one year of training in its satellite offices.

Why this matters: If passed into law, the PNP can easily craft then implement its own programs to mold its ideal police recruits. The PPSC now only takes in recommendations from the PNP before crafting its own program for recruits.

According to Senator Panfilo Lacson, author of the bill and former PNP chief, the current set-up has become ineffective.

“The simple truth is that there is an evident mismatch between the PNP’s training expectations and requirements to the actual services provided by the PPSC,” Lacson said in a statement on Tuesday.

Lacson believed the “mismatch” may be one of the reasons why young cops get involved in crime. (READ: Policing the PNP: Scalawags spoil Duterte vow to end crime)

“By instituting reforms in the current system, we are strengthening the foundation of a highly efficient, effective, and component police force,” he said. – Rappler.com