CEBU, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is facing a shortage of body cameras, with only approximately 2,700 police officers equipped with the device, according to PNP public information officer, Police Brigadier Gen. Redrico Maranan on Sunday.
In a radio interview over dzBB, Maranan highlighted that the PNP should ideally have around 45,000 body cameras to meet the demand for recording incidents during the execution of search or arrest warrants.
“We lack body cameras right now. Our requirement for that is something like 45,000, but we only have 2,700. Our police officers with issued body cameras are very, very limited,” Maranan said in Filipino.
He mentioned that the PNP is aiming to acquire more body cameras in the coming year and has already requested the necessary budget allocation from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
This follows the case of six police officers involved in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Jerhode Baltazar in Navotas City.
During the incident, the officers involved were not wearing their body cameras, which could have provided crucial evidence regarding the events leading to the shooting.
Maranan emphasized that officers should take their responsibilities seriously, particularly in ensuring that their body cameras are fully charged before their duty starts.
He criticized the excuse of a dead battery, asserting that such an explanation is not acceptable for a responsible officer.
“That is not an acceptable reason because being a responsible officer, when you use your body camera, it must be fully charged when you start duty,” he said.
Baltazar lost his life on Aug. 2 while on his way to fish. He was shot and killed by Navotas City police in Barangay NBBS Kaunlaran, who allegedly mistook him for a murder suspect.
The Northern Police District (NPD) revealed that the involved police officers failed to produce videos of the operation, leaving gaps in understanding of what happened during the incident. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Philippine Star News Service