ASEANEWS HEADLINE-COURTS & CRIME | MANILA: No EJKs, arrest quotas, evidence planting – Torre
Quezon City Police District Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III attended the 121st Police Service Anniversary as guest of honor and speaker, together with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, at Camp Karingal in Quezon City on August 30, 2022./ STAR / Jesse Bustos
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In a press briefing at Malacañang alongside Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, Torre said the PNP is aligned with President Marcos’ vision of a disciplined, professional and service-oriented police force.
Torre warned police officers that misconduct, planting of evidence and similar violations would not be tolerated.“There will be no quotas on arrests. Planting of evidence is a grave offense. If anyone does that, I will dismiss them from the service and have them jailed for incriminatory machinations,” Torre said.
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“Suspects should be brought in alive. No killings. We do not condone wanton murders or extrajudicial killings. Arrests must be done with respect for life, unless officers are in immediate danger,” he said.
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The newly installed PNP chief also warned officers who fail to meet the five-minute response time that they would undergo drills and retraining.
“Our goal is clear: to respond to 911 calls within five minutes and, in the next three months, reduce it to three minutes,” Torre said, referring to the intensified deployment of Quick Response Teams across Metro Manila.
On the use of confidential funds, Torre III said he is open to utilizing this to support and incentivize police officers who arrest criminals and as part of efforts to improve law enforcement performance without resorting to illegal methods.
“When I was in Quezon City and Davao City, I gave incentives equivalent to five percent of the recommended bail, later capped at P1,500 for officers who successfully inquest suspects,” he said.
He emphasized that testifying in court and securing convictions are critical aspects of police work and officers who show up in hearings deserve recognition.
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“When a police officer attends hearings and helps put criminals behind bars, that officer deserves more than just thanks, they deserve promotion,” he said.
Thus, Torre said the use of confidential funds for these incentives would be lawful and transparent.
On ensuring that human rights is respected, Torre said the PNP continues to coordinate closely with the Commission on Human Rights.
“I appreciate the input of the Commission on Human Rights. We don’t want arrests done just to inflate numbers,” Torre said.
He reiterated that the aim is to remove criminals from communities, not innocent individuals.
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“There’s no sense in arresting someone who is not a criminal. This system is meant to professionalize our ranks and encourage lawful, quality policing,” he said.
As for rank promotions, Torre said in a radio interview that making arrests is now being factored into the promotion metrics of individual police officers.
“It’s not a reward system per se, but arresting criminals will be included in performance metrics for promotions. Catching criminals is a prime indicator of effective policing,” he said.
Torre clarified that the evaluation is on an individual basis and not by precinct.
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“Arrests are a personal responsibility. If a police officer is sued for a wrongful arrest, it is not the station that gets charged, it’s the individual,” he said.
He added that while there is no official quota system in place, arrests made by officers, particularly warrantless ones, will carry significant weight in their performance evaluation.
“We are working on a point system. For instance, 10 arrest warrants served may be equivalent to one warrantless arrest, which is harder to execute,” he explained.
‘Sketchy appointment’
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte said the decision of President Marcos to appoint Torre as PNP chief is sketchy, amid the findings of the Senate that there were possible criminal and administrative violations committed by several high-ranking officials following the arrest of her father, detained former president Rodrigo Duterte.
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Duterte compared the appointment of Torre to the decision of the lower chamber to elect Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“First, I questioned the choice of the Speaker of the House of Representatives before. Why will you choose a Speaker of the House of Representatives implicated in a bribery case, on record, in a case in the United States,” Duterte said.
“That alone is already questionable. If you are aware of that, you will not support him as Speaker of the House of Representatives. In the same way, there were recent findings by the Senate of violations of law of this police officer. So, why will you appoint (him) as chief of police? So, the decision is too sketchy,” she added.
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“I do not think our country will be better (under the leadership of Torre),” the Vice President also said.
Sen. Imee Marcos has submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman the Senate report on the arrest of the former president.
Marcos claimed that Duterte’s arrest was politically motivated and aimed at undermining both the former president and the Vice President.
Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, the Vice President’s brother, has also questioned Torre’s appointment, claiming it was not based on merit.
Mayor Duterte alleged that Torre was named PNP chief because he is the administration’s “attack dog,” adding that his promotion allowed him to leapfrog from a two-star to a four-star general, bypassing more senior officials.
Torre hit back at the mayor, saying his father appointed a one-star general when he named now Sen. Ronald dela Rosa as PNP chief in 2016. – Bella Cariaso
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