The Borneo Post

Philippine­s orders retraining, reassignme­nt of 1,200 police after alleged abuses

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MANILA: The Philippine capital’s police chief ordered that the entire 1,200-member police force in one of Manila’s biggest areas be relieved of duty and retrained yesterday in response to a series of controvers­ies, including the killing of two teenagers.

Metro Manila’s top officer Oscar Albayalde said all police personnel in the Caloocan area of the capital would undergo retraining and reorientat­ion before being reassigned to other police units, not necessaril­y in Manila.

“We will start with the city’s police precincts 2 and 7,” Albayalde said.

All personnel in Caloocan’s headquarte­rs and seven precincts would be temporaril­y replaced by the regional public safety battalion, a combat-trained unit.

“This will be done in batches,” he said.

Albayalde did not say how long the retraining would last and how long it would take for the entire police force in Caloocan to be replaced.

It is the first time an entire city police unit has been relieved of its duties since President Rodrigo Duterte unleashed his bloody crackdown against illegal drugs 15 months ago, a campaign that has killed thousands of Filipinos.

The move comes amid intense scrutiny of police activities in Caloocan in the wake of the killing of 17-year old Kian Loyd Delos Santos last month in what police said was an anti- drugs operation.

His lawyers and family say he was murdered in cold blood.

Three officers involved in his killing say he fired at them and they acted in self- defence.

Duterte, known for his frequent speeches that call for drug dealers to be killed, ordered a thorough investigat­ion into the Delos Santos killing and warned police he would not tolerate abuses.

Another teenager, Carl Arnaiz, suffered a similar fate, accused of trying to rob a taxi driver and shooting at police who tried to arrest him.

The taxi driver told reporters on Sunday he saw him alive in custody.

About two dozen Caloocan residents, holding placards saying ‘ Stop the Killings’, held a noisy protest outside the precinct’s police headquarte­rs.

We will start with the city’s police precincts 2 and 7.

Dozens of police trainees stood in front and watched the protest.

Yesterday’s order came only a day after Philippine media reported members of the Caloocan precinct 4 raided an elderly woman’s home and reportedly stole money in an incident captured on closed circuit television cameras.

Reuters could not confirm the report independen­tly.

Activists accuse police of executing suspected users and dealers systematic­ally during anti- drugs operations and say official reports that say victims violently resisted arrest are implausibl­e, and contrary to witness accounts.

Police reject those allegation­s and Duterte has been furious at critics and political opponents who say he has a ‘kill policy’.

The video of the alleged robbery was uploaded on social media sites and went viral, which angered senior police generals.

Albayalde immediatel­y issued the orders to relieve the Caloocan precincts. — Reuters

Oscar Albayalde, Metro Manila top officer

 ??  ?? Policemen from Caloocan Police District patrol a dimly lit alley at a residentia­l district in Caloocan City Metro Manila Philippine­s. — Reuters photo
Policemen from Caloocan Police District patrol a dimly lit alley at a residentia­l district in Caloocan City Metro Manila Philippine­s. — Reuters photo

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