A policy of discipline, backed by the use of body cameras, will be the answer of the Lacson administration in stopping extrajudicial killings and other abuses by rogue members of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“One word: Discipline. We will ensure discipline in our uniformed services,” presidential aspirant Sen. Panfilo Lacson said.
“Abuses start when discipline is lost in the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and uniformed services,” he added.
Lacson said the discipline-based policy has worked before, particularly when he won back the people’s trust in the PNP when he headed it from 1999 to 2001 with his no-nonsense “leadership by example” approach.
He also said one tool that would help prevent abuses is the use of body cameras by police personnel to ensure transparency in their operations.
“On the spot, you will see if the police committed violations. But that is also for the defense of police accused of abuses,” he said.
He said he will not allow the mentality of some rogue police personnel to manipulate evidence, stressing the need to keep the trust of the people, especially in far-flung areas where the only representative of the government is the police officer.
“We will not allow that. It is important to restore trust in our uniformed personnel,” he said.
Earlier, the Partido Reporma standard-bearer vowed to put an end to the proliferation of “ninja cops” who continue to taint the image of the PNP.
“The approach of the government in pursuing its war on drugs was mostly focused on law enforcement, and that is the reason why the scalawags have escalated,” Lacson said.
Ninja cops refer to members of the PNP who recycle and sell illegal drugs confiscated or seized during police operations.
Lacson underscored the need to re-adjust the strategy of the government’s anti-drug war by putting more weight on prevention and rehabilitation.
“Cases of extrajudicial killings escalated because the police were encouraged. They became overeager, which eventually led the government to face these kinds of cases,” he added.