EDITORIAL - Lawmen, lawbreakers

In Albuera, Leyte, self-confessed drug dealer-turned-politician Kerwin Espinosa has filed charges of frustrated murder against seven members of the Philippine National Police who are suspected of involvement in a failed attempt to assassinate him while he was campaigning on April 10.

The seven, led by sacked Ormoc City police chief Col. Reydante Ariza, already face gun raps filed by the Leyte police and are currently under PNP custody.

In Metro Manila, three Caloocan City policemen were arrested last Saturday for allegedly extorting from relatives of detainees P1,500 per inmate as “visitation fee.”

Seven other PNP members assigned at the Sto. Niño police substation in Parañaque were also arrested on charges of extorting P100,000 from a Chinese businessman they had apprehended at a checkpoint on Thursday night.

Probers said the seven had pulled over a vehicle driven by the 25-year-old Chinese along Macapagal Boulevard in Barangay Don Galo, and had told the foreigner that the vehicle’s documents were fake. They allegedly demanded P300,000 to release him, but later acceded to reduce the amount to P100,000.

The only positive thing about these dismaying stories is that the cops were apprehended by their colleagues and could face penalties.

But the ever-growing string of criminal activities with cops as the principal perpetrators should lead to intensified efforts to promote respect for the law within the PNP.

Beyond arresting lawbreakers within the organization, the PNP can move to effect a sea change in the attitudes of those tasked to keep the public safe.

This task must start at the recruitment and training stages. Values formation should be a continuing program and must include lessons on the responsible employment of force when armed with a lethal weapon. Being authorized to pack a gun should not be construed as a license to use the weapon arbitrarily.

Under the current administration, there has been a dramatic drop in the number of killings carried out by the PNP ostensibly to crack down on illegal drugs. Instead, many of the recent crimes attributed to police personnel involve financial gain.

PNP members have been granted pay hikes and retirement benefit schemes envied by many other workers in government. It’s plain venality that drives a police officer to shake down civilians, demand bribes, recycle prohibited drugs for profit or engage in kidnapping for ransom.

Although the accused perpetrators were apprehended, the latest incidents can only erode public trust in the police. The PNP must work to regain that trust. PNP members are law enforcers; they must lead by example in upholding the law.