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A batch of 29 newly-trained officers have joined the Customs Police Rapid Intervention Group, enhancing the country’s border protection capacity against smuggling and transnational crimes
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Officers completed a four-month Special Operations Training program conducted by instructors from the military’s Special Forces and Presidential Security Group
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Training covered tactical intelligence, port operations, weapons handling, close quarter battle, vessel boarding, and executive protection
A batch of 29 newly-trained officers have joined the Customs Police Rapid Intervention Group (CPRIG), enhancing the country’s border protection capacity against smuggling and transnational crimes.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC), in a statement, said the officers completed the four-month CPRIG Special Operations Training, a rigorous program developed and delivered by instructors from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Special Forces and the Presidential Security Group.
The curriculum spanned customs police fundamentals, special skills, and advanced skills, covering airport and seaport operations, tactical intelligence, tactical combat casualty Care, pistol and rifle marksmanship, IED identification, tactical communications, close quarter battle, vessel boarding search and seizure, and executive protection operations.
Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno and AFP chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. presided over the graduation ceremony.
“You are the standard bearers. The responsibility rests on your shoulders to uphold the integrity, discipline, and professionalism of the Customs Police. In every operation and duty you perform, you carry the name of the Bureau of Customs and the trust of the Filipino people,” Nepomuceno said in mixed Filipino and English.
Brawner said the graduation is more than a ceremonial milestone and is “a recognition of the transformation of the men and women who answered the call to serve with greater discipline and purpose. Every threat intercepted, every successful operation, and every crime prevented contributes to the stability and security of our nation.” he said.
He added a pointed reminder to the new officers: “Skill without integrity is dangerous, and strength without discipline is meaningless.”
The ceremony also highlighted inter-agency cooperation among the BOC, AFP, Philippine Navy, and partner agencies, particularly in intelligence sharing and operational coordination.
The bureau said it will continue developing CPRIG through specialized training programs aimed at sustaining the unit’s readiness to protect the country’s borders, economy, and national security.
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