PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Debold M. Sinas has ordered the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group to ensure that all criminal cases they will file against arrested erring policemen will prosper and not dismiss by the court at the first instance.
During the recent 2nd founding anniversary of the PNP-IMEG, Sinas told officers and men of the unit headed by Colonel Thomas R. Frias Jr. to see to it that they have solid evidence and witnesses that will bolster the filing of criminal and administrative cases against rogues in the police force who are being arrested by members of the unit.
The PNP chief issued the instruction to the PNP-IMEG after noting that several criminal cases filed by the unit against supposed-to-be misfits and scalawags in the police force have been dismissed.
Sinas said that badly losing cases in court—with the prosecutor’s office either ordering the release for further investigation of the accused or ordering the dropping of the charges for lack of clear evidence—is a clear indication that police officers and investigators are not doing their job.
The member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) ‘Hinirang’ Class of 1987 said that in the first place, actual arrests are made only after the suspects are placed under days of surveillance following complaints from the citizenry or anonymous tips.
He said that during the surveillance period, undercover officers are supposed to gather enough proof, evidence including video footages and witnesses that would trigger the launching of actual entrapment operations to pin down any rogue in uniform.
However, he said that it is saddening to hear that some cases filed by the PNP-IMEG against arrested rogues in uniform have been dismissed, enabling the accused to claim innocence and cry harassment, and later seek his return to duty.
Sinas said that in case he hears another report of an IMEG operation which ended up with the accused policemen eventually being set free after the charges against them are dismissed by the court or the prosecutor’s office, the blame should go on the arresting officers, their superiors and their investigators who filed the case.
The PNP-IMEG was created principally to conduct counter-intelligence operations against misfits and scalawags in the police force specifically those involved in ‘kotong, hulidap and so-called bangketa’ activities as well as those using motor vehicles and motorcycles they recovered during anti-drug operations and other law enforcement activities.
Sinas has warned all officers and men of the 209,000-strong force to fully comply with their policy prohibiting the use of motor vehicles and motorcycles being recovered in anti-criminality operations saying those who will be found violating the rule will be dismissed from the PNP and stripped of their benefits.
He particularly issued the call on members of PNP anti-narcotics units in the cities and municipalities who are involved in operations to arrest small-level drug personalities and told them not to follow the path of some of their colleagues who violated the law and were arrested, jailed and are now facing dismissal from the service.
Frias, a member of PNP Academy Class 1993, said they have heard the PNP chief’s instructions loud and clear. He added that as part of their effort to further improve their services, they have established the IMEG Complaint Desks in different PNP Regional Training Centers nationwide to monitor irregularities and other illegal activities allegedly being committed by the training staff.
So far, IMEG Complaint Desks are already existing at the Regional Training Centers 7, 10 and 11 in Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Southern Mindanao respectively. To be established soon are similar desks at the RTC 1 in Ilocos-Pangasinan region, RTC 3 in Central Luzon, RTC National Capital Region, RTC 6 in Western Visayas, RTC 8 in Eastern Visayas and RTC Bangsamoro Administrative Region.
Frias said they are fully coordinating their actions with National Police Training Institute director, Major Gen. Alex B. Sintin.
