The Philippine National Police has expanded its intelligence network against illegal drugs and other crimes by requiring all its uniformed personnel to know and report all the persons who are connected to the illegal drugs trade and other criminal activities in their barangays.
The PNP has a strength of more or less 190,000 who lives in various places in the country. On the other hand, there are some 42,200 barangays in the country.
Director General Oscar Albayalde, PNP chief, said they would have a wide array of intelligence data against crime if policemen themselves would start squealing what they know in their barangays.
“Every PNP personnel must be given specific duties to as an agent of change in the community, he must know and report his neighbor who are involved in illegal drugs and crime,” said Albayalde.
In some cases, policemen would not reveal the illegal drug personalities and other suspected criminals in their barangays due to bonds and friendships with them and their families as neighbors and relatives.
But Albayalde pointed out that it is for the greater good of every member of the community if every member of the barangay would cooperate to improve the peace and order in their locality.
Recently, the PNP chief tasked all police commanders down to the municipal and precinct levels to improve the peace and order in their areas of jurisdiction.
At the same time, all unit commanders were also reminded to supervise and monitor the operations and activities of their anti-illegal drugs units against possible irregularities that often drag down the image of the PNP.
Albayalde said the PNP remains responsive to the requirements of due process, rule of law, and human rights in all police operations, assuring it is an institutional policy in the and deeply-rooted in police doctrine, systems, and procedures. (Aaron Recuenco)
