PNP orders ‘integrity’ crackdown on ex-cops

MANILA, Philippines — A sweeping post-service integrity crackdown has been initiated by the Philippine National Police amid reports that 10 former PNP officials have formed their own crime rings.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. directed the Directorate for Intelligence, Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group and other investigative units to conduct an in-depth validation of the former police officials.

“We are not just looking at their current activities, but also who their possible connections are inside the organization,” Nartatez said. “We will not stop until we have identified their protectors.”

Once identified, Nartatez said they would consolidate all records of the former PNP officials’ administrative cases to see if there were protectors who allowed them to flourish in the police force.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla had disclosed that 10 former police officials who were dismissed for grave offenses are now “leading criminal groups engaged in extortion, kidnapping and other crimes.”

Even if they are already out of the PNP, Nartatez said the former police officers pose risks to the public due to their training.

“They still carry the tactical knowledge they learned here, and that makes them high-risk,” he said.

Nartatez also wants a reassessment of internal monitoring systems to prevent corruption that may continue after the retirement or dismissal of PNP personnel.

The PNP will also strengthen ethics training and anti-corruption workshops for police officers.