"This is to hone the shooting skills of our policemen as criminals are also becoming sophisticated nowadays," Franco said.
The 10-day firearms aptitude exercise, which started last Monday, is being held at the Caloocan City police station’s firing range under the supervision of Superintendent Sotero Ramos Jr., chief of the NPD’s intelligence unit.
Ramos said that the yearly activity is aimed at upgrading the lawmen’s shooting ability and helping superior officers determine areas where policemen are fit to be assigned depending on their competencies.
By adopting the International Defense Pistol Association (IDPA) scoring system, a participant would be classified whether he is a sharpshooter, a marksman or just a shooter.
"Policemen should always have the upperhand in fighting criminals," Franco said.
He urged his police officers to take their training seriously, warning that he would be compelled to confiscate their firearms if they could not get satisfactory ratings at the end of the training period.
He said that those who could not hurdle the training would have to return to the firing range for further training until they learn how to properly handle their guns.
"What’s the use of carrying a firearm if you don’t know how to handle it," Franco stressed.
He cited the recent death of PO2 Restituto Soria of the Caloocan City police who was outwitted by a wanted criminal he was trying to accost.
He advised his men to develop their instincts and muscle memory by practicing "dry fire."
"This is practical and without cost," he said.
Of the 326 participants in last year’s marksmanship proficiency training for 31 commissioned officers, only Franco qualified as a sharpshooter. Of the 295 non-commissioned officers, only 15 qualified as sharpshooters or marksmen and only 16 or five percent of the total 326 participants qualified as shooters.