MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III on Wednesday promised the public that officers would respond to 911 calls in Metro Manila within five minutes.

He said they eyed cutting the response time down to three minutes after three months.

"Sa NCR, five minutes muna. So huwag ninyo na kaming hanapin sa mga presinto sapagkat kami ay nasa inyo nang mga telepono. Dial 911, kami ay darating sa loob ng limang minuto," said Torre. "Anyway, in Metro Manila, iyan ang gagawin natin in the next one month, bigyan ninyo kaming isang buwan para magawa iyan."

Torre earlier ordered police stations to accept all complaints or reports from the public, even if the concern falls outside their jurisdiction.

Torre: No more passing the public from one police station to another

He invited members of the media to test the PNP's five-minute response time to emergency 911 calls, saying: "Sa susunod na mga pagkakataon, I will invite you to Camp Crame, maglagay kayo ng inyong mga mobile crew sa metro Manila, kung saan man, saan man ang mga OB Van ninyo kung saan man."

"Tapos, ibigay ninyo sa akin ang location kung saan ang OB van ninyo, magdi-dispatch kami ng unit, start the time dapat limang minuto na andoon na ang itsura ng OB van sa command center," he added. "Dahil mayroon body camera na nakatutok sa kanya, nakikita natin kung anong ginagawa ng mga tao sa OB van."

"Kahit na sabay-sabay mga limang OB van o anim na OB van para medyo may challenge… iyan ang simulation na para bang iyong tao na iyon ay tumawag sa 911 humihingi ng saklolo."

TORRE WANTS MORE COPS ON PATROL, OUT OF OFFICES

Torre said he has also ordered the deactivation of some police boxes and community precincts, saying he wants more police officers on the streets instead of in offices. 

“’Wag niyo nang hanapin ang mga pulis sa mga presinto, sapagkat kami’y nasa inyo nang mga telepono,” he said.

(Don’t look for the police at the precincts, because we’re already in your phones.)

Police boxes and community precincts were originally intended to serve as small neighborhood outposts to help providing immediate police presence in residential or commercial areas. 

They handle minor incidents, lost-and-found items, provide directions, and administer basic first aid. These also allow officers to develop closer relationships with residents, making community policing more effective.

Torre said he would "rather have our policemen walk the streets on their beats" or in their patrol cars. 

Torre said the program was first implemented during his stint as director of the Quezon City Police District, and will now be rolled out on a national level.

8-HOUR DUTY

Torre also ordered the implementation of an eight-hour duty policy to help ensure the well-being and efficiency of police personnel—a reduction from the current 12-hour shifts.

“Tao rin ang mga ‘yan, hindi makina ‘yan. At ayokong makakita ng mga pulis na tulog,” he said. 

(They’re human too, not machines. And I don’t want to see police officers sleeping on the job.)

He said police personnel ar eon duty 72 hours a week, which is far more than the 40 hours per week that most in the private sector work.

“We’ll try to make a system that will reduce the working hours but in exchange we’ll be looking for quality time,” he added.

— With a report from Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News