Rapid 3-Minute Police Response to Strengthen Davao City 911 Emergency System

DAVAO CITY — Davao Regional Police Chief Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III said the implementation of a three-minute police response time here will greatly increase the effectiveness of the city’s 911 emergency number.

Torre’s comments came after Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, still outraged over the transfer of 19 police station commanders without his consent, criticized the pet project of the Davao regional police chief and even threatened to slap the police general.

Duterte, on his show “Basta Dabawenyo,” said Torre’s three-minute police rule has made no difference in Davao City. “It’s been a month here, what did his three-minute response do? Does it make any difference?” the mayor asked in Cebuano.

But Torre said the police’s quick response time would be a great complement to the city’s 911 emergency system and would further increase the city’s response to natural and man-made disasters.

“What’s the point of calling 911 quickly if the police can’t get there in time?” Torre asked. “I think the mayor is just misinformed. Despite what the mayor has already said, the police will continue to provide the best service they can to the city,” Torre told reporters.

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He also added that if the mayor so desired, he could even reduce the police response time from three minutes, as in Quezon City, to 2:45 minutes, which would make Davao City the fastest-response police unit in the country.

Torre, however, is still activating the Integrated Police Command and Control Center (iC3), a 10-million-peso project located at Camp Quintin Merecido that has not been used since it was transferred to the command in January of this year because the station commanders he transferred “did not want to use it because it would mean extra work for them,” according to Torre.

Thanks to gadgets and cameras worn by responding officers, the command center will be able to monitor what is happening at the scene during a crisis in real time via numerous LCD screens and computers.

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He said he met with new municipal station commanders to train them on how to use radios and other police gadgets that enable them to easily connect with other police officers in the remote districts of Paquibato and Marilog and anywhere in the country. He said he was surprised that police station commanders seemed reluctant to use the best that the digital age has to offer to improve the quality of police services to the community.

Recall that Davao City Emergency 911 was a legacy of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the father of the incumbent mayor. The elder Duterte also served as the city’s chief executive officer before his children took over when he became president.

Torre assumed his position on June 16, replacing Brigadier General Aligre Martinez, who was fired after just 50 days in office. Martinez’s replacement came three days after a June 10 police operation that failed to arrest Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who faces child abuse, sexual exploitation and human trafficking charges in courts in Davao City and Pasig City but continues to evade arrest.

Quiboloy, the founder of the religious sect Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), was a close friend and supporter of former President Duterte, whom the sect leader appointed as administrator of his properties.

Torre, however, said arresting Quiboloy was not his priority at the moment.