CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Police offices nationwide are not demanded to fulfil quotas, but they are pressured to make accomplishments in the Duterte government’s anti-drug campaign more than two years on, the country’s Phil. National Police (PNP) chief said Friday.
According to PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, there was no order from Pres. Rodrigo Duterte for police units on the ground for a quota although they are pressured to clear their areas of responsibilities from drug personalities.
“In fairness to [Duterte], he did not say anything about quota. Never since day one that the [Duterte] administration [has demanded quota],” Albayalde said, referring to the number of drug-related arrests a police office can make in a certain period of time.
Albayalde was the guest of honor in the PNP-10’s celebration of the 117th Police Service Anniversary and the Northern Mindanao launching of the “Clean Rider” program aimed at cutting down or even eliminating the shooting incidents and criminal activities involving motorcycle-riding suspects.
During the regional launching, about 500 bikers from all over Northern Mindanao attended the ceremony. The riders were also given “Clean Rider” stickers to signify their support to the anti-crime campaign of the PNP.
Albayalde has assured that the stickers are tamper-proof and are laden with security features so they could not be used illegally.
He added since the “Clean Rider” program was launched back in July, crimes committed by motorcycle-riding suspects had gone down from an average of 30 to 50 in a week to 20 to 25 a week in the whole country.
Meanwhile, PNP-10 regional director Chief Superintendent Timoteo Pacleb has reported that a total of 23.7 kilograms of meth or shabu and 4.5 kilograms of marijuana, with an estimated value based on the Dangerous Drugs Board standards of P155 million were confiscated and more than 3,000 drug personalities arrested during the one-year period in July.
Pacleb noted that the crime volume in the region had gone down 30 percent with 44 percent decrease in index crime and 22 percent decrease in non-index crimes placing PNP-10 in the top 2 spot, besting all other regions nationwide.
He said the drop in crime volume, particularly the index crime is attributable to the effects of the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, the anti-illegal drugs campaign and the implementation of the “Enhanced Managing Police Operations” strategy.
The regional director also announced the upgrading of police facilities and equipment from June last year to August this year, including the distribution of 61 “high-capacity” vehicles, and two fiberglass boats and a rubber boat to be sued for search and rescue and disaster relief operations.
“The increase in logistics capability particularly in mobility assets provided to our units and personnel with mission-essentials will enable them to perform their mandated functions at the optimum level,” Pacleb said.(davaotoday.com)
