MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila's top cop was told to intensify his internal cleansing campaign against rogue cops Wednesday by Police Gen. Archie Gamboa, the chief of the national police.
This came after Police Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, the director of the National Capital Region Police Office, found one police officer in Quezon City's police district who was positive for shabu after instituting a random drug test.
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In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Gamboa said: “Our people need to trust the PNP if we want to sustain and eventually win this prolonged fight against criminality and COVID-19."
"Police Major General Sinas has been cleansing Metro Manila from unscrupulous police personnel and I commend the NCRPO for its aggressive campaign, especially against rogue cops who are involved in the use and trade of illegal drugs," he added.
According to data from the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management, 4,208 personnel have been dismissed from police service while 7,324 personnel were suspended and 760 were demoted.
This, along with 555 officers listed as "forfeited salary," 1,327 "reprimanded," 101 "restricted to quarters," and 157 "withheld privileges," the PNP's public information office said in an earlier release.
The NCRPO regularly conducts random drug testing within its ranks.
“The PNP is relentless in its fight for a clean and drug-free Philippines. It starts right here, in our own backyard. Getting rid of rogue cops is key to gaining the trust of our people," Gamboa said.
"The NCRPO’s initiative is an important step towards attaining that," he added.
Sinas earlier sacked cops from San Juan for also breaking quarantine protocols.
Metro Manila's top cop figured in a controversy last month when a birthday gathering in his honor was documented in photographs posted by his own office, though he was defended by Gamboa and even President Rodrigo Duterte himself.
He has since urged the public to "move on" from the incident.