There is cost and tolerable hassle in checkpoints and the benefit really pays. But people will learn to be familiar with it just like the malls, trains, and airports and it's like it's already part of our life. It's actually the checkpoint technology like x-ray that we have to invest in the long run. We have to start producing x-ray checkpoints locally and deploy more dog sniffers too. The enforcers must continually train, find more ways to improve performance, and get smarter.
Definitely 24/7 CHECKPOINT in strategic places. No martial law. Just standard checkpoints.
Let me tell you how many checkpoints I pass everyday. From my house, I drive and my car pass though a checkpoint in office compound, trunks are checked, glove compartment checked, hood checked, under chassis checked, dog sniffers. Then when I pass the compound, I park in the mall and there is another car check. Then I enter the mall on foot and there is a frisking check. Then I enter the train station and there is a frisking check. They really do checking VERY fast -- no hassle at all. The checkpoints are operated by security guards, and the police are just at a little distance like 20 meters away. There are no barb-wires and military tanks as you can imagine during martial law.
The lapsed I see is lack of checkpoint at the residential areas such as village entry/exit and condominium lobbies. Assuming I am an assassin, no one would detect me if I carry a gun in my car and drive t the streets because there are no checkpoints at the streets, then I reach my target and shoot him at the street. I think there should be checkpoints at the entry/exit points of residential areas.
We have to continually improve the checkpoints in terms of training, technology, and use of dog sniffers. Perhaps we can also use the Radio Frequency Identifiers in cars to avoid repeat checks in too close interval periods. Improve improve improve as we move on through time.
In the rural areas such as Sulu, basilan and MILF Territories, we will have to reduce the guns in the hands of the private citizens. We will pull-out the traditional war-freak military we have been sending there. We will use a new breed of peace enforcers to man the checkpoints. Special peace enforcers, new uniform, and trained in peaceful relations with the population. And most important is to establish Radio/TV Stations that could reach those remote areas so we can integrate them into society. I have driven through the province of Maguindanao last January to check out the radio signals, and I was very disappointed to tell you that that place is not reachable by radio channels, the people there are totally isolated that is why they are very vulnerable, afraid, and they will really arm themselves. We have to do something about their integration to the society, among other plans.
Another way to reduce cost of checkpoints is to reduce the number of people getting checked each day. We will use a pass system. People who pass the High-Risk Determination Test and Background Investigation will be given Security Pass. The checker will randomly grant skip-check to persons with Security Pass, but it will be subject to the discretion of the Checker. And mind you, checkers are assigned to different places everyday by random rotation so no one can familiarize with them.
For the dogs, all checkpoint teams will have dogs, but the criminal would not know which team has a placebo dog (no sniffing capability).
