Caloocan to swap 400 cops

MANILA, Philippines — In an “unprecedented revamp,” 400 police officers from Caloocan City would be replaced by their colleagues from other police units, an official said Friday.

One hundred police officers each from Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela would be sent to Caloocan, Northern Police District (NPD) deputy director for administration Senior Superintendent Eliseo Cruz said in a sendoff ceremony last Friday morning.

The three cities would receive, in turn, 100 police officers each from Caloocan.

Caloocan will also swap 100 more police officers with the NPD’s Public Safety Battalion.

The police officers were “carefully selected” by their respective chiefs of police “to compose the new blood of the Caloocan City police station,” Cruz said.

The revamp was “a primary course of action in relation to the recent sensational killings,” he said.

“Let us be proud that we were included in this revamp, that we were chosen as part of the solution to this problem,” Cruz said.

Earlier, National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Oscar Albayalde ordered the relief and retraining of around 3,500 police officers composing the Caloocan City police force, except its new head Senior Superintendent Jemar Modequillo and his deputy for administration, Chief Inspector Ilustre Mendoza.

Albayalde said he issued the order after Caloocan police officers were accused of killing Kian Loyd delos Santos, Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman and breaking into a house and robbing its occupants during an anti-drug operation.