The Police Regional Office in Davao Region (PRO-11) said Tuesday that it continues to strengthen its three-minute response time (3MRT) policy.

During the regular Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum here, PRO-11 director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said 3MRT would be limited in urban areas, especially specific zones that are crowded and where traffic is often heavy.

“We assessed where the 3MRT will be applicable, and generally, it fits in urban areas. There is a need for immediate response in such areas,” he said, adding that the policy has been tested while he was the Quezon City Police District commander.

Torre said 3MRT speeds up the response of police authorities to the public, especially during incidents of crime.

“As you can see, in Davao City and other cities in Davao Region, patrol cars and motorcycles of police personnel are moving. That’s because we are now in the process of perfecting the three-minute response,” Torre said.

He PRO-11 is “close to perfection” in the 3MRT implementation because police officers in the city are already well-equipped and the city has an active 911 emergency system.

“In the far-flung areas, we can’t apply it because it might not be necessary. However, we will cascade this to the barangay local government units so that they will have an immediate response when they need it,” he said. (PNA)