LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Philippines - Tourist policemen assigned in various parts of the province will be riding on horses while performing their duties and responsibilities as part of the government's national Top Cop program. Senior Supt. Benjamin Lusad, newly-installed director of the Benguet provincial police office, said THE tourist police on horseback will be initially seen in La Trinidad and Kabayan where foreign and domestic tourists usually visit because of the scenic tourist spots there. Initially, there will be seven tourist policemen who will be patrolling on horseback to ensure peace and order in the tourist spots. Earlier, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Tourism (DoT) mapped out an enhanced tourist police program to provide protection and police assistance to both local and foreign tourists.
The national Top Cop program aims to increase the number of tourist protection units and beef up the operational capability of police units deployed in premier tourist destinations in the country. The tourist police on horseback will also be launched in Kibungan town, one of the tourism destinations in the province. The PNP is also planning to introduce the program in Zambales and Baguio City which is patterned after the Bohol tourist police. The establishment of tourist police is one of the flagship projects of the PNP leadership. The PNP earlier expressed the need to bolster police personnel manning the special tourist protection units in coordination with tourism authorities as a preemptive measure against crime syndicates preying on foreign and local tourists.
