City policemen to take courses on courtesy, anger management

The Cebu City Police Office has plans of holding crash courses on basic courtesy and anger management for its policemen, particularly those assigned to checkpoints.

CCPO director Patrocinio Comendador yesterday said he would submit this proposal to the Police Regional Office for approval.

These seminars, he said, will teach policemen—manning checkpoints—to handle properly all kinds of attitudes of motorists in order to avert a build up of any tension from either the police or the motorists.

Tension most often break out between motorists and the police at checkpoints, and these courses would teach the policemen how to deal with all kinds of people and avoid confrontation, said Comendador.

Another planned course is on anger management, in which a policeman would be taught how to handle or control his anger against motorists.

Comendador said the plan came about after he received many complaints against his men at checkpoints for being allegedly arrogant and discourteous in flagging down motorists for routine inspection.

Days ago, city administrator Bimbo Fernandez’s wife Tessie, of Lihok Filipina group, complained to the CCPO about policemen at a checkpoint in Banawa, Guadalupe who were allegedly arrogant in dealing with motorists.

Comendador said the letter-complaint was already referred to the police Internal Affairs Service for possible action against those who maybe found guilty of administrative offense. — Flor Z. Perolina/RAE