PNP moves toward ISO certification

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police is assuring the public of better and more efficient service as it moves closer to being certified as “ISO Certified 9001” by the International Organization for Standardization.

Senior Superintendent Benigno Durana, senior executive assistant to the Office of the Chief PNP said a third party audit team from the Anglo-Japanese Audit Registrars had finished its two-day independent assessment of the OCPNP Saturday.

Durana said the audit team has recommended to the International Organization for Standardization that the OCPNP be declared as ISO 9001:2008 compliant.

ISO 9000 is a family of standards for quality management systems. ISO 9000 is maintained by the International Organization for Standardization and is administered by accreditation and certification bodies.

A company or organization certified as “ISO 9001:2008” is found to be keeping a set of procedures that cover all key processes in the business, monitoring processes to ensure they are effective, keeping adequate records, checking output for defects, with appropriate and corrective action where necessary, regularly reviewing individual processes and the quality system itself for effectiveness, and facilitating continual improvement.

A company or organization that has been independently audited and certified to be in conformance with ISO 9001 may publicly state that it is “ISO 9001 certified” or “ISO 9001 registered.” Although certification to an ISO 9001 standard does not guarantee any quality of end products and services; rather, it certifies that formalized business processes are being applied.

Durana said the certifying audit team has determined the quality management system at the OCPNP and its processes, which are being implemented in, and by the various sections and attached units to be conforming with international standards.

According to Durana, for more than seven months prior to last weekend’s independent evaluation, the OCPNP officers and personnel have reviewed, assessed, improved and updated their respective management system, procedures and processes to meet the minimum but stringent requirements of international standards.

Aside from the OCPNP, the audit team also evaluated the management system and procedures of the four attached agencies namely: the Program Management Office (PMO), Human Rights Affairs Office (HRAO), Permit To Carry Firearms Outside Residence (PTCFOR) Secretariat and the CPNP’s Complaint / SMS Text Desk.

“They tested the workability and effectiveness of the existing management system and looked for areas that must be rationalized to strengthen the overall delivery of police service,” said Durana, who is also part of the ISO certification project.

Durana said the PNP expects that the OCPNP will be awarded its ISP 9001:2008 certification on July 26, 2010.

Meanwhile, PNP chief, Director General Jesus Verzosa, thanked the officers and men of his office for their commitment to make the OCPNP ISO certified as he reminded them that being an ISO certified office “should not be the end to the means, but rather, the beginning of what we all intend to do - render faster, better and more effective police service to the public.”