"These are volunteers who will be tapped in assisting our policewomen handle domestic problems, especially those that concern women and children," Senior Superintendent Moises "Kamagong" Guevarra, Malabon City police chief, told The STAR.
Guevarra said that of the 312 officers and men of the Malabon City police, only eight of the female operatives are available to man the station’s Women and Children Concerned Desk (WCCD).
"If we are able to seek the help of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team composed of male barangay watchmen and other male volunteers groups, why can’t we create a team composed of women that could look into problems that concern the women and children?" Guevarra said.
The Malabon police chief said that initially, he would assign 20 WBPAT in each of the 21 barangays in the city. They would be supervised by a selected police officer.
Guevarra said that apart from rendering better police service by tapping the assistance of non-government volunteer groups in the maintenance of peace and order in his city, the program can also ease the workload of his operatives.
Malabon City has 312 officers for the 380,000 residents of the city, he said.
Guevarra said the 1,500-strong BPAT, which also has the full support of Mayor Tito Oreta, has been instrumental in the arrest of 181 criminals in Malabon since its inception in August last year.
"They are very effective police partners for they know their own barangay," Guevarra said of his force multipliers. – Pete Laude