Provincial police launch E-blotter

CEBU, Philippines - Following the launch of the E-blotter system in Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City, the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) joined the loop with a formal launch of the system at the Provincial Capitol yesterday.

The E-blotter is a centralized system that would allow offices of the Philippine National Police across the country access to accurate police records.

For now, with the PNP still strengthening the system, access will have to be controlled by Camp Crame and police stations will have submit their records to the national headquarters. 

Senior Supt. Lout Oppus, Deputy for Operations of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, said the main goal of the project is for the PNP to have a daily update of what is happening on the ground accross the country. Information from every police station is crucial in mapping out strategies for quick response and crime prevention.

Unless there is a court order, civilians cannot access the E-blotter.

Sr. Insp. Julian Entoma, Assistant Provincial Police Director for Operations, explained that reporting of incidents to the police will remain the same. The public can register complaints with the desk officer who, in turn, will forward the complaint with the crime registrar. It will be the crime registrar who will encode the information to the E-blotter system. Subsequently, the information will be forwarded to the police regional office then to the national headquarters.

Entoma said the program actually started last year. The CPPO will do its best to forward all records from 2011 to Camp Crame.

Entoma said those policemen who underwent training on the use of the system in Manila will be the ones to train their counterparts here. On May 10, information technology experts from Manila will also come to Cebu to hold a more extensive training for three days.

“All police stations are required to have a separate laptops or desktop for e-blotter not like before that a computer has a multiple of usage,” Entoma said.

Oppus said he is hoping that the PNP can sustain the program.

Entoma disclosed that the concept of a centralized system was explored in 1995. At that time, CPPO started having access to records of all police stations accross the province but the project did not live long. — (FREEMAN)