The Philippine National Police (PNP) will provide personnel and resources for nationwide school safety drills led by the Department of Education (DepEd) on Aug. 25 as authorities strengthen measures against security threats on school campuses.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police force would support the drills and other DepEd initiatives aimed at protecting learners, teachers and school personnel.
“We have been involved in crafting measures to ensure the protection of learners and every learning space. The hard work is not yet done since your PNP will also be there to make sure that these safety measures are properly implemented in every school,” Nartatez said.
The PNP said the partnership with DepEd has been strengthened following recent incidents in schools that raised concerns over the safety of learners.
The nationwide drills will build on safety exercises previously conducted in selected schools after the PNP, DepEd and other stakeholders developed protocols for responding to security threats.
Nartatez said the exercises would help students, teachers and other school personnel understand how to respond during an emergency while allowing police units to assess their coordination with schools and local governments.
He directed local police units to coordinate with school authorities and barangay officials before and during the drills.
The coordination will cover police response, communication and other procedures that may be required during an actual security emergency.
“These drills will intensify coordination mechanisms among the police, school authorities, and barangay officials especially whenever there are threat situations,” Nartatez said.
Photo courtesy of PTV News
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