PNP personnel undergo tactical motorcycle riding vs street crimes

October 26, 2020

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said a total of 178  personnel are undergoing skills development training on tactical motorcycle riding to address street crimes.

In a press briefing, PNP chief General Camilo Cascolan said all 17 police regional offices in coordination with the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) were told to begin training in tactical motorcycle riding and to organize motorized anti-street crime operating teams, specifically against motorcycle-riding criminals.

“In response to the instructions of President Rodrigo Duterte to address the increasing crime incidents involving motorcycle-riding suspects, I have directed through a memorandum the increase of police visibility by adding more motorcycle patrols to our existing fleet and initiate refresher training to our mounted tactical responders,” Cascolan said.

“In compliance to my order, skills development training on tactical motorcycle-riding for 178 police personnel is ongoing in Cordillera, Ilocos Region, Caraga, and PNP-SAF (Special Action Force),” he added.

Cascolan said their newly-acquired 90 1000cc motorcycles will be given to the HPG to boost their operations.

Cascolan said the new police motorcycles will significantly enhance the PNP’s capability for high-speed tactical police response to street crimes especially those perpetrated by motorcycle-riding suspects notoriously known as riding- in- tandem.

Data shows a total of 1,324 incidents of street-crimes attributed to 1,958 motorcycle-riding suspects were committed from January 1 until October 16 this year.

Broken down, these incidents were 424 murder, 24 homicide, 307 physical injury, 32 rape, 306 robbery, 100 carnapping, and 131 theft cases.

“Although 400 of these cases have been solved and 362 other cases were cleared with the arrest of 308 suspects and the death of 21 others, we are pursuing the arrest of 1,629 suspects who remain at large and presumed to be still actively engaged in criminal activities,” Cascolan said. Ella Dionisio/DMS