MANILA
Crimes involving cops themselves have been rampant here lately. President Benigno Aquino III must order Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and National Police Chief Alan Purisima to crack down on erring policemen.
High-profile crimes involving police reveal a loose sense of duty and a faulty understanding of their responsibilities. It makes one wonder about their training, how rigid it is and how emphatic the people in command are in instilling commitment to duty among their ranks. The situation calls for immediate and drastic action from the top.
It’s ironic that among the public servants here that people could run to for assistance, the police aren’t among the first ones that come to their minds. In fact, the police are the last ones people seek help from because the police are often perceived as unreliable, abusive, gruff, insincere about their duty and worse, predatory. It’s not uncommon for citizens to feel that the police, instead of being the people’s protectors, are more likely to be their predators.
Already, a number of senior police officials are on the dock for crimes allegedly committed while in the service. There seems to be no sense of honor in serving as the people’s protectors. There seems to be no special pride in being a member of the police force. There’s no iron-clad code of ethics and conduct in place.
Surely there are many members of the force who are serious about their duty to the people. But the continuing involvement of police in crimes and the recent high-profile nature of the crimes destroy whatever good reputation and good will the entire police force may have in the people’s minds.
Daily, people l
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