Cops get ready for polls, refresh shooting skills

Around 60 police officials in Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor yesterday refreshed their skills in a shooting competition as part of physical and psychological preparations for the May 9 national and local elections.

Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 regional director, said the shoot fest also aimed to foster camaraderie among officials to ensure they would work together in “peace and harmony for a better service and protection of the general public.”

The shoot fest was dubbed “S.A.F.E. 2016 Shoot off,” which stands for safe and fair elections.

City police directors and their deputies for operations and administration, provincial police directors and their deputies, PRO-7 secretariat, Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) and Task Group commanders joined the shoot fest held at the Cebu Pistol and Riffle Association (CPRA) firing range in Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City at 9 a.m. yesterday.

Each officer had to undergo three stages of shooting scenarios to test their proficiency.

During the relay shooting, groups of five officers took turns shooting at a target steel plate about 15 meters away. Each shooter had to reload a firearm before trying to hit the target and unload it after firing before tapping the back of the next shooter.

“It is not really a competition but we prepared awards for them. What is important here is we will be able to refresh and revisit our shooting skills,” Comendador said.

The officers had a boodle fight for lunch. Awarding was held in the afternoon.