Cops back remulla vs ‘quota’ arrests
Police officials leading anti-crime operations on the ground are hoping their superiors would listen to the appeal of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla for them to stop arresting people for the sake of having accomplishments or meeting quotas.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the quota being imposed by ranking police officers is counter-productive as it sacrifices the quality of law enforcement operations.
“Mabuti matanggal na ‘yan para wala rin pressure sa part namin. Para magdeliver kami ng quality na trabaho (It should be removed so there is no pressure on our part. We can then deliver quality service),” an official said in an interview.
Remulla, in his speech during the 70th anniversary of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), said police should stop the practice of arresting people just to show accomplishments.
“We should not accost people just so we can claim an accomplishment. Hopefully, the arrests we make really help in crimes and criminality in society,” Remulla said in Filipino.
He cited arrests over petty violations such as gambling with coins on the streets as well as cases when an innocent person is jailed for simply being present during a drug bust. The arrests further congested the country’s detention system, which has about 200,000 inmates, Remulla said.
The official, who is leading an antinarcotics unit in Metro Manila, said they are required by their superiors to have 10 operations in a month.
“If within three months you cannot deliver, alis ka sa puwesto, ‘yun ang (you are removed from your post, those are the) parameters,” the source said.
The problem is that they are assigned to an area in Metro Manila that is considered peaceful, he added.
Another police official who is also assigned in Metro Manila said they were elated when they learned of Remulla’s plea, hoping that PNP officials would consider the justice secretary’s observation.
The official said instead of getting reprimanded, their superiors should look into the possibility that the community they are securing is peaceful.
To comply, the official said some policemen resort to charging people who are arrested for illegal gambling with violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
Not requiring meeting a quota would give police officers an opportunity for quality operations targeting high-value criminals.
For another police official, setting targets for accomplishment is good but it should be based on the environment of an area.
The source said a slum area in Manila notorious for criminal activities should not be compared with a posh community in Quezon City.
The official said the Department of Justice should also consider doing away with entering into a plea bargaining agreement with criminals.
“Many avail themselves of plea bargaining. They approve it even if the suspect has been arrested two or three times,” the official said.