ILOILO City – A total of 103 police officers had completed the three-month rigid training on Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT).
These new SWAT members will be assigned to different provincial and city police offices under the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), according to Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, PRO-6 spokesperson.
“These newly graduated SWAT officers would fill in some members who went on schooling or reassigned,” Solis said.
The training, held at Camp Serudo, Barangay Jalandoni, Sara, Iloilo, started in August this year and the graduation ceremony was on November 22.
They underwent intensive instruction and physical conditioning, equipping them with the required skills in close quarter battle, crisis situation response, marksmanship, and competencies required of a SWAT member.
The SWAT team is an elite tactical unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) whose members are trained to handle high-risk situations that are beyond the capabilities of regular police officers.
PNP SWAT is called upon for a variety of situations, including the following:
* hostage rescues
* counterterrorism operations
* active shooters
* crowd control
* high-risk search situations
PNP SWAT members undergo rigorous training and are equipped with specialized weapons and machinery. They operate in unpredictable, high-pressure environments.
PRO-6 director Brigadier General Jack Wanky congratulated the graduates for their determination, commitment and for successfully finishing the course.
“They deserved an applause, you, students of this SWAT course and the training facilitators and the instructors. I know both the students and the instructors experienced late night sleeps and early wake-ups just to ensure that the required skills and knowledge are imparted and learned. I am now confident that when you return to your respective units, you are more disciplined and can deliver an excellent public service that the people deserve and can provide the necessary police action when the situation dictates,” Wanky said./PN
