By MARTIN A. SADONGDONG
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) launched yesterday its hotline that will receive reports about erring cops, crimes and drug-related incidents as part of its intensified campaign against criminality in Metro Manila.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde graced the launching of “Pulis na Abusado, Pusher at mga Loko, Agad I-send mo sa Team NCRPO” hotline 0915-889-8181 (Globe) and 0999-901-8181 (Smart) at the NCRPO headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
With the opening of the hotline, Albayalde reminded police commanders to always supervise their own men and be ready to be of service to their stakeholders or risk losing their jobs.
“We cannot give service to the public if we are lax. Let us show the public that we are snappy and ready to serve anytime. We want change in the PNP or am I the only one who wants that? I don’t think so,” Albayalde told Metro Manila police commanders who attended the event. He reiterated that commanders who will fail to discipline their own personnel will be relieved for command responsibility.
Albayalde said Metro Manila residents can report abusive cops and crimes through text or other messaging application like Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram, Line, WeChat and others.
For his part, NCRPO Director Guillermo Eleazar said the hotline is already up and running and Metro Manila residents need not to worry if they need it at night time since it would be operational 24/7.
“This hotline is not only advisable in reporting abusive cops but also in our war on drugs. This hotline was given to us a long time ago but the public seems not aware of it so we want them to know that we have it,” Eleazar said.
Eleazar said the hotline is being monitored by a team of competent personnel who responds to hundreds of reports being received at the NCRPO headquarters everyday.
He said the monitoring team operates a computer-generated feedback mechanism for the public to determine whether cops responded to their concerns or not.
He also appealed to the public to avoid making prank calls and messages so as not to hamper the operations of the policemen.
The Metro Manila top cop also asked for public understanding if some of the messages are not immediately addressed because of the volume of reports they are receiving everyday.
He added that the standard response time for crimes is five minutes after receiving the report but it may take longer during days when there are a big volume of reports coming in.
“It’s a work in progress. I hope that the public understands that this system needs validation. But this is already proven effective. I personally experienced it when I became the Quezon City Police director and Calabarzon regional director. It helps in the reporting system,” Eleazar said.
Eleazar also said that the identity of the persons who will report abusive cops or crimes will not be in danger since they will remain anonymous.
“There are those who put their names and some do not. But whatever the case may be, rest assured that your identities remain safe with us. We will conceal your identity and we will do everything in our power to protect it,” Eleazar said.
