A P6 million-firearm simulator acquired by the Philippine National Police headed by General Benjamin C. Acorda will not help cops make better decisions on when they should and should not fire their guns but is seen as a tool that will greatly reduce the yearly expenses of the 228,000-strong force in training ammos alone, the Journal Group learned yesterday.

The United States-made Recon Core Firearm Simulator with two Glock 17 training pistols with recoil kit; two units of PT92 Taurus pistols with recoil kit and four units of Glock Dummy Pistol with no recoil kit was procured by the PNP Training Service (PNP-TS) as part of its program to further develop sharpshooting policemen or cops who can hit the right target at the right time.

According to PNP-TS director, Colonel Radel D. Ramos, they are also putting emphasis on close-quarters combat to better prepare their policemen-students once they are confronted with real-life scenarios that makes it necessary for them to use their weapons when confronting armed and dangerous suspect or suspects in the streets.

The firearm simulator also allows PNP-TS students to apply skills they learned from the virtual shooting range when it comes to pursuing armed suspects.

The system specifically will enable a policeman to hone his/her shooting skills without the use of real bullets amid findings that as much as 20 percent of the force regularly fail their marksmanship training.

The firearm simulator uses pistols whose barrel is fitted with a laser system while its magazine contains CO2 which enables a user to feel a real gun recoil each time he/she pulls the trigger. A student is asked to hit targets on a high-definition screen.

Records show that the PNP spends some P500 million on training ammunition annually. However, the money is not really enough to supply the police with sufficient training ammo they need to conduct regular practice in shooting ranges, whether they are run by the police force or by private companies.

Col. Ramos said they expect to increase the firearms’ proficiency of their students even more since they can use the simulator without limit compared to the need for them to pay at least P25 per excess bullets in the shooting ranges.

The PNP-TS has turned to the state-of-the-art firearm simulator to further improve the marksmanship of their officers and men and ensure that cops will hit the right target when danger comes.

The firearm simulator is specially designed to improve law enforcement officers’ marksmanship training through a virtual reproduction of a shooting range indoors where all types of parameters such as target type, shot distance, light and weather conditions can be set.

By using a firearm simulator, an ordinary cop can enhance his shooting skills without spending money for training ammos. At present, a box of an ordinary caliber 9mm ammunition cost around P1,200 or P24 each. A reloaded ammunition being sold in both PNP-run or private shooting ranges cost around P15 each plus the other expenses one has to pay for including the target board.

According to Col.. Ramos, the idea to have a firearm simulator in the force was hatched during the time of now retired Major General Alex D. Sintin, a world-class shooter who also used to head the PNP-TS and later the National Police Training Institute.

Ramos said that when he was still the PNP-TS director, then Brigadier Gen. Sintin and other firearm enthusiasts in the PNP talked about the idea of having a simulator after a hitting targets at the Camp Crame shooting range.

“They brainstormed on how they can train together along with other PNP personnel in a cost-efficient manner without compromising their marksmanship skills and quality of training,” said the member of PNP Academy ‘Patnubay’ Class of 1995.

The simple discussion at the gun range led to the conceptualization of the idea to acquire a PNP firearms simulator, Col. Ramos said.

According to the official, the idea got the support of top PNP officials when it was presented to them before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in 2020.

The pandemic also brought a major challenge to the effort to procure the equipment.

“The plan nearly failed but due to the efforts of the PNP Bids and Awards Committee and the full support of the PNP leadership, the vision came into reality, thanks to the perseverance, diligence and solid team effort of all officers and men involved in this project,” said Col. Ramos.

The plan became a reality after the PNP procured the simulator.

By next month, the PNP-TS director said that their Range Safety Officers and Information Technology personnel will undergo a 2-day training on the technical use and proper care and maintenance of the said simulator to ensure that every peso paid by the country’s tax-payers won’t go into waste.

“This innovation will further enhance the capability and quality of our personnel as we continue to serve and protect the community,” Col. Ramos said.

However, he added that they are hoping that the gun training equipment will also be acquired by all 17 Police Regional Offices and the different National Operational and Administrative Support Units in their respective headquarters and offices to provide their personnel the same training opportunity.

Other modern police and military forces outside the country already use firearm simulator in their training.

However, the equipment must be used frequently and must be readily accessible.

Ideally, if budget will permit, the equipment is a must-have for all 17 Police Regional Offices , the 80 Provincial Police Offices and the 20 City Police Offices as well as the different Numbered Police Stations in Metro Manila.

Officials said that each police office ideally must be able to each acquire at least one simulator which have been proven to be a highly effective took for law enforcement abroad.

This has prompted calls for the PNP leadership to fully support the program which really addresses the need for portability, affordability, capability and ease of use to make frequent and effective police marksmanship training a reality.

By using a firearm simulator, the instructor can really define and create marksmanship exercises and even obtain information needed to analyze a policeman’s skills, whether in carrying out tactical missions or individually as their skills are tested in 3-D settings in which they interact with different people-hostile or not-projected on the screen with complete freedom of movement and various ways to reach the targets.

The firearm simulator actually removes the limitations of traditional gun training. It also afford an individual policeman the chance to improve and even master his shooting skills thru repeated training.

The firearm simulator also helps an individual cop increase his/her reaction time, improve his/her decision-making and most of all, learn when to use cover once confronted by an armed and dangerous suspect.

The acquisition of the firearm simulator comes in the heels of an order from the PNP leadership for all police commanders nationwide to frequently hold marksmanship and gun training seminars for their men.

Cops have also been ordered to exercise caution in handling their own firearms at all times amid a number of deadly ‘accidental shootings’ involving some members of the police force.