NATIONAL Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director, Major General Edgar Alan O. Okubo is hell-bent on changing the image of the metropolitan police force by coming up with an idea to replace male desk sergeants in NCRPO stations with female officers.

His plan is to train an all-women team who will act as police customer service representatives in Metro Manila police stations tasked to deal with people from all walks of life and refer their problems to concerned units whose actions will be fully monitored by the NCRPO leadership.

“We will be having a pool of policewomen who will undergo training on customer relations service before being assigned to police stations to deal with the public,” Maj. Gen. Okubo told the Journal Group.

The member of Philippine National Police Academy ‘Tagapagpatupad’ Class of 1992 who made history as the first PNPA graduate to head the elite PNP Special Action Force and later the NCRPO, said he wants customer service-trained policewomen to act as their go-to-guys in police stations for a change.

He said he came up with the idea after fielding a number of undercover agents or ‘mystery clients’ in different NCRPO stations shortly after he assumed the top Metro Manila police post vice Maj. Gen. Jonnel C. Estomo, now the PNP Deputy Chief for Operations.

The official said the so-called ‘mystery clients’ secretly filmed the actuations of male desk sergeants in the stations they visited and many of their actions were disappointing.

One secret video showed a policeman smoking vape in public; another watching television unmindful of the presence of the ‘mystery client’ while another seemed to be not interested in the complaint of the undercover agent and after a lengthy talk merely referred her to the barangay. Those findings were ordered investigated by the NCRPO chief.

Maj. Gen. Okubo said that by replacing male desk sergeants with customer service-trained policewomen, they will be trying to replace the atmosphere in police stations and convince more people to report crimes and air their other concerns to the police force.

“What I want here is to have a presence of policewomen who are always ready to help anybody seeking police assistance, acting as if they are mothers, sisters to the citizens,” he said.

Once they have talked to a particular complainant, the policewoman would refer him/her to the concerned police unit, say the theft and robbery section, the anti-carnapping unit or the anti-fraud division which should address their complaints immediately, the official said.

Maj. Gen. Okubo believes a police officer –a policewoman in particular who has been trained in customer service — would be crucial in their effort to further win back the trust and confidence of the people.

“Good police customer service and reactive interactions are crucial to create a good public experience as desk sergeants in police stations are usually the first point of contact for our customers which is the public,” he explained.

The NCRPO won’t run out of female officers whose role in nation-building and peacekeeping have been widely recognized by the country.

A House-approved PNP Reorganization Plan is also making sure that females will form a major part in the 227,000-strong organization’s peacekeeping efforts by further increasing the quota requirements for female officers of the force, the Journal Group learned.

Proposed by the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management headed by Major General Robert T. Rodriguez, the move calls for a gradual increase in the number of slots being given to female PNP officers as the PNP leadership greatly acknowledges their contribution to the effective law enforcement activities of the organization.

“Female police officers contribute to the improvement of law enforcement effectiveness. Their presence in the police organizations are acknowledged to contribute building community trust and reduce the incidence of sexual and gender-based violence,” the PNP-DPRM said.

According to PNP Director for Plans, Maj. Gen. Bernard M. Banac, the proposal will mean that within the next five years, there will be an increase in the reserved quota for women to 15 percent of the PNP’s annual recruitment, training and education quota and shall be increased to 20 percent thereafter.

PNP chief, General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. said they are recognizing the invaluable contribution of women to the society including their female counterparts, many of them now holding key positions in the 227,000-strong force.

Of the total 229,623 personnel complement of the PNP that include PNPA Cadets and Non-Uniformed Personnel, 21.51 percent or 49,400 are women.

The PNP Officer Corps is also composed of 2,820 policewomen or 17.87 percent of the total. The female officers are currently assigned to leadership positions in different levels of the organization.

In October last year, the PNP welcomed its first-ever all-women recruit class composed of 150 female police recruits. They are now undergoing the Basic Recruit Course and are expected to report to their assigned units upon completion of training.