Torre pushes for continuing education for police officers

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III proposed continuing education for police officers’ professional development in law enforcement.

“I do believe that our training is adequate,” Torre said in an interview on Radyo Pilipinas on Wednesday morning. “I would like to believe that police officers really know the law. The concern is that the law evolves.”

Torre pointed to the requirements in other professions as examples.

“Lawyers have four years of basic training. But before they renew their license every so often, they have mandatory continuing legal education because the law changes,” the PNP chief said.

“The same goes for doctors. They also have continuing education. Let’s do the same with the police so they will be abreast with skills,” he added.

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Torre further said he directed the PNP Training Service to open refresher courses for police officers.

The courses will have subject matter experts who can determine when it is appropriate to use their firearms, when to use hand-to-hand combat, and how to resolve conflicts.

The PNP chief further said that police officers performing below standards might undergo retraining. But he emphasized that he would not punish the law enforcers immediately for this reason.

“There’s no need [for us] to be punitive right away," he said.

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However, the commanders of underperforming officers may be subjected to an administrative case to determine whether or not they provided adequate training to their subordinates.

(2025/06/04-14:14)