The Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) will formalize its coordination with schools and local government agencies next week as it strengthens security measures amid recent shooting incidents involving students.
Mandaue City Police Director Police Colonel Cirilo Acosta Jr. said the memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be signed with the Mandaue City Government, Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Parents-Teachers Associations (PTAs) and Liga ng mga Barangay.
The agreement will establish the responsibilities of each stakeholder in maintaining school safety and give police direct communication lines with school principals during emergencies.
Acosta said the MCPO has been deploying personnel to schools since January, with 83 personnel assigned daily to 89 schools across the city.
Some schools share the same entrance or are located within the same compound, allowing one police officer to provide security assistance to more than one school, he said.
The deployed personnel are administrative patrollers who perform security duties alongside their regular responsibilities. They are supported by beat patrollers, mobile patrol units and tactical motorcycle-riding units.
Police presence begins as early as 6 a.m., when students arrive, and extends until as late as 7 p.m. during dismissal, according to Acosta.
He said the MCPO is strengthening coordination with other stakeholders following recent shooting incidents involving students, including the Aug. 18 shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School campus.
Acosta said police cannot provide school security on their own, prompting the MCPO to seek assistance from barangay officials, the Mandaue Traffic Enforcement Agency (TEAM) and school security guards.
The MCPO is also encouraging schools to connect their surveillance cameras to the police command center.
Acosta said the setup allows police to monitor school premises even after officers assigned to schools have completed their shifts.
The system has been operational for about a month, with participating schools providing mobile phones connected to the MCPO Command Center. School security guards can use the system to report incidents directly to police.
Acosta said the arrangement provides schools with a faster communication line to the police, particularly when no police personnel are physically stationed nearby.
The MCPO is also adjusting the schedules of beat patrollers to coincide with school opening and dismissal periods to increase police visibility as students enter and leave school premises.
Despite the heightened security measures, Acosta said the MCPO has not received reports of any specific threats against schools in Mandaue.
He said police have also not encountered any security concerns involving schools in the city.
Photo by VCL
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