EDITORIAL - Abusive cops

The leadership of the Cebu City Police Office should see to it that appropriate sanctions will be imposed on some members of the Talamban Police Station if it proven that they were really involved in the recent mauling incident that has gone viral in social media.

These sanctions should serve as a lesson to the local police force that a police badge is not a license for any officer to just do whatever he wants to innocent civilians, especially during legitimate operations.

At least eight policemen belonging to the Talamban Police Station were relieved from their posts amid allegations they mauled a man who is now detained at the station. The policemen allegedly took turns in manhandling the man identified as Edwin Basillote.

Security camera footage, which made the rounds in social media, showed men suspected to be policemen hit Basillote. In the seven-minute video, the armed men, wearing civilian clothes, mauled three people, including Basillote.

This controversy has become the latest issue that Mayor Tomas Osmeña used to step up his attacks against the local police whom he accused of terrorizing upland barangays residents, especially his political supporters.

The mayor has already identified those policemen involved in the incident and challenged the CCPO leadership to penalize them. But Cebu City Police Office director Police Colonel Royina Garma wants more evidence to prove that those involved are really policemen.

Yes, more evidence is needed to pin down those policemen in the center of this latest controversy. While the closed-circuit television footage does not lie about the mauling incident taking place, a thorough investigation is needed for us to know the real score.

Of course, those abusive policemen have no place in the Philippine National Police. It’s high time for its leadership to conduct an honest-to-goodness campaign to rid the organization of bad eggs.