The hostage taking incident today wherein an irate police officer took an entire bus load of Chinese tourists as hostages once again highlighted the incompetence, as well as the plight, of our Philippine National Police. Five hostages out of 15 ended up dead in the rescue attempt by the “Special Unit” of the PNP NCRPO.
The entire world watched live as the Philippine Police made an embarrassment of the entire country.
We do not have to be members of an elite commando unit to observe what went terribly wrong. Plain and simple Common Sense – which unfortunately was absent today – could have resulted in a different outcome and lives saved.
1. There was no need for a violent assault. The hostage taker was a fellow police officer. He was not a terrorist or a hardened criminal. His problem was administrative, i.e., he wanted to be reinstated or granted his benefits. The hostage negotiator could have easily employed deception by offering him a fake reinstatement document or order granting his requests. Then, that would have been the end of it.
2. Speed, Surprise, and violence of action, were not employed. These are basic in any SWAT or hostage rescue operation from Entebbe to Princes Gate. Instead the rescuers seemed to take their sweet time in entering the bus, slowly hitting the windows with hammers, and peering inside thus giving away the precious element of surprise. The rescuers clearly lacked training.
3. There was poor overall command and control. The rescue team did not seem to have focus and a clear plan for the assault. They simply approached the bus and started their attack. No one seemed to be directing the attack. There was no sniper back-up and they simply went back and forth trying to break the windows of the bus.
The area was not properly cordoned off and the media and bystanders were not placed under proper supervision and control.
3. The rescuers were not properly equipped for the task. They were clearly not part of any elite SWAT unit. Their uniforms were ordinary daily wear and they did not have proper body armor, gas masks, tear gas, and long arms or smg’s. No stun grenades or flashbangs were used at the initial entry. There was no battering ram, no armored vehicle (which the PNP has several units) used in the approach. Overall, it was a nightmare come true.
When incompetence like this comes on TV live, its does not do well for the police as an institution. Moreover, it does not do well for our country. The Philippines is now on travel ban once again, and we again fear whether or not our police can adequately protect us from violent crime.
With all the corruption amongst the top rank Generals, it is again the front line police officers who suffer on account of lack of funding for equipment and training.
Should only police in uniform be allowed to carry guns (the hostage taker was a police uniform)? Were the police able to provide adequate protection to the citizens? Could not a single lawfully armed citizen among the hostages have ended this problem?
After watching this I think that in a hostage situation, I’d be more afraid of the police rescue team than the hostage taker. It would be better that a group of civilian airsoft enthusiasts come get me instead. That way I would have more chance of making it out alive!
This is not a joke. I have seen teenage part-time hobbyists do a better job than these clowns.
I have to agree on that one Boiledfrog. I am an airsoft player myself, and to be honest whenever we invite the PNP or military to play wargames, they almost always get massacred. It is really their doctrine and the way they maneuver and fight, which is really deficient. Since then I never wonder why our army always gets outfought by muslim rebels in sandals and rusty rifles.
The PNP and our army has some very serious training deficiencies. Lack of budget, misappropriation of funds intended for training, lack of law enforcement doctrine. This must be addressed before the next crisis explodes and more people die.
In the meantime, I will continue to carry my pistol. That is the main reason why I myself carry a gun – to protect myself and my family, instead of trusting our lives to incompetents.
There is a very lengthy thread on airsoft versus SWAT here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1167342281#!/pages/United-Airsoft-Alliance/69606881226?v=wall&story_fbid=136064786436808
I used to be an airsoft player some 4 or more yrs ago, and am going to agree with your story on them, real cops getting massacred in airsoft CQB games. The assault on the tourist bus at the Quirino GS was a real-life CQB. If Mendoza had the reflexes of a 30-year-old, it could have been worse.
What was very obvious in the incident, was the fact that the assault team was poorly equipped. I am not going to comment on the state of their training, but would recommend that our swat should try playing simulated PC assault games, while at the same, doing practical training….this might give them better perspectives. I remember a professor who used to teach a course on urban planning…he had his students play sim city.
Recently,the world saw how some of our law enforcers poorly excecuted a supposedly “simple hostage drama”.The weird thing about this is that the hostage taker itself was a notable cop,whom also was awarded as one of the “ten most outstanding policemen in the the Philippines”.Friends and family members testified to his accomplishements,and i’m sure it was true,,it is just really hard to understand what did really changed this good cop into bad,,
I travel a lot,,and most of the time ( twice a year ) me,and also my colleagues have to undergo physical and phsycho examinations.Well,just to think of it ,if we as normal and simple civilians can do it, perhaps our authorities should too..,Like maintenace,,let’s keep them fit and in tip-top shape,keep them drug-free,and let’s make sure they get proper phsyco treatment so they don’t just grab their guns and ammos and start shooting people,,well in this case,taking hostage of innocent tourists.
In addition,I also play airsoft.I do this everyweek.It is cheaper than the real one (ball pellets are a lot cheaper than real bullets plus you and your opponents get to live the next day to tell your war stories).maybe we can have our law enforcers do this routine as well.Practice makes perfect,,,,and save lives!
How about also keeping the police INTELLECTUALLY FIT? The problem in the Manila Hostage Incident was POOR TACTICS as a result of POOR OR LACK OF TRAINING. I wouldn’t be surprised if during the Congressional inquiry of this incident, the PNP would testify that there is no uniform tactical doctrine or training regimen for their SWAT and special units.
BRAINS is really what is lacking here. The Brawn can be easily purchased, but the brain has to be TRAINED through REGULAR INTELLECTUAL EXERCISE. And that really is the problem. The PNP should ALL go back to school.