Internal Affairs probe bares Iloilo cops as region’s top erring police
Good news. Of the 7,383 cop-population of Western Visayas under Police Regional Office (PRO) 6, only a handful – 81 to be precise were involved in acts questioned as offensive in the past year up to the present. Bad news - Iloilo’s cops topped the list with questioned acts and activities all work-related and considered “grave offenses” too.
The records are reflective only though on complaints and cases officially handled by the region’s Internal Affairs office. Expectedly, a number of similar complaints and cases are with PRO 6 Legal Department, the National Police Commission, the Commission on Human Rights and the Military Ombudsman.
Yet as far as the Regional Internal Affairs Service (RIAS) hierarchy is concerned, 60 cases is the total yield covering January to December of 2008 and January to February of this year.
Records obtained by The News Today (TNT) disclosed corresponding disposition of the cases where exonerated were 32 respondent-cops. A total of six thus far were penalized ranging from suspension, demotion to a lesser rank and two dismissed from service or were forced to resign. As of press time, TNT failed to obtain specifics on the identities and assignments of the penalized police personnel.
With the RIAS resolution of the complaints and cases came the decision to conduct summary hearings following Pre-Charge Evaluations made. Misconduct ranked highest on the type of offenses followed by neglect of duty.
And as per RIAS 6 data, the past year showed Iloilo City as highest with 12 cases on record and 2 more for this year. Iloilo province had 11 last year and 3 for the current year. In contrast, similar records to date covering first quarter of 2009 showed a positive zero-complaint thus far for police personnel in the provinces of Antique, Capiz, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.
The RIAS also works on moto proprio automatic investigation particularly on reported indiscriminate firing of firearms of police personnel and police operations resulting to death or serious physical injuries vis a vis human rights violations.
Further still under the RIAS eye are violations of police on rules of engagement, compromising of evidence and reports on tampered or evidences lost in police custody.
RIAS 6 is under the helm of Police Superintendent Emmanuel Ughoc.