Manila Bulletin
PNP to revise guidelines in accounting for wanted persons after falling short of arrest goals
PNP to revise guidelines in accounting for wanted persons after falling short of arrest goals
PNP to revise guidelines in accounting for wanted persons after falling short of arrest goals
Published Jul 2, 2019 10:10 pm
By Aaron Recuenco
The Philippine National Police (PNP) will be revising its guidelines in accounting wanted persons after the Commission on Audit (COA) stated that it fell short in arresting fugitives last year.
PNP chief Police General Oscar Albayalde (KEVIN TRISTAN ESPIRITU / MANILA BULLETIN)
Although PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde disputes the COA report, the revision of the parameters in accomplishing the police goal of arresting more wanted persons is expected to be part of the PNP report that would be sent to COA.
“We have to explain it to COA because it appears that we are falling short on the arrest of wanted persons. We did not fall short on the arrest of wanted persons. In fact, triple according to the data of DIDM, we exceeded our target in terms of the number of wanted persons we have arrested,” said Albayalde.
In its 2018 audit report, COA said the PNP only reached 19.37 percent of its 51.57 percent target in arresting wanted persons.
Brig. Gen. Omega Jireh Fidel, deputy director of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), said a ‘lost in translation’ of the existing parameters of the PNP in accounting wanted persons could be the reason behind the COA report.
Based on the existing PNP rules, all police stations are required to arrest at least one of the 10 most wanted persons in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
“For ordinary wanted persons, even police stations are required to arrest at least five percent,” said Fidel.
It was in the accounting of the Top Ten Most Wanted that the PNP fell short as it only arrested some 4,700 of their 22,000 target last year.
The 22,000 target is based on the expectations that each of the more than 1,700 police stations would arrest one most wanted person every month for the 12 months of 2018. The reality that some of the police stations would fail to comply was factored in, the reason why the target was reduced to only 22,000.
The problem, according to Fidel, is that there are really some police stations, specifically in fourth and fifth class municipalities which are so peaceful that there are no wanted persons that must be accounted for
“There were even cases that there were no crimes committed in some municipalities,” said Fidel.
But it was in the arrest of ordinary wanted persons where the PNP tripled its accomplishments in 2018, according to Fidel.
In order to address the confusion in understanding the bridge between existing policy and realities on the ground, Fidel said it is necessary to revise their parameters in accounting wanted persons.
“We will explain this (to COA) and we are studying and we will revise our parameters on that,” said Fidel.
PNP chief Police General Oscar Albayalde (KEVIN TRISTAN ESPIRITU / MANILA BULLETIN)
Although PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde disputes the COA report, the revision of the parameters in accomplishing the police goal of arresting more wanted persons is expected to be part of the PNP report that would be sent to COA.
“We have to explain it to COA because it appears that we are falling short on the arrest of wanted persons. We did not fall short on the arrest of wanted persons. In fact, triple according to the data of DIDM, we exceeded our target in terms of the number of wanted persons we have arrested,” said Albayalde.
In its 2018 audit report, COA said the PNP only reached 19.37 percent of its 51.57 percent target in arresting wanted persons.
Brig. Gen. Omega Jireh Fidel, deputy director of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), said a ‘lost in translation’ of the existing parameters of the PNP in accounting wanted persons could be the reason behind the COA report.
Based on the existing PNP rules, all police stations are required to arrest at least one of the 10 most wanted persons in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
“For ordinary wanted persons, even police stations are required to arrest at least five percent,” said Fidel.
It was in the accounting of the Top Ten Most Wanted that the PNP fell short as it only arrested some 4,700 of their 22,000 target last year.
The 22,000 target is based on the expectations that each of the more than 1,700 police stations would arrest one most wanted person every month for the 12 months of 2018. The reality that some of the police stations would fail to comply was factored in, the reason why the target was reduced to only 22,000.
The problem, according to Fidel, is that there are really some police stations, specifically in fourth and fifth class municipalities which are so peaceful that there are no wanted persons that must be accounted for
“There were even cases that there were no crimes committed in some municipalities,” said Fidel.
But it was in the arrest of ordinary wanted persons where the PNP tripled its accomplishments in 2018, according to Fidel.
In order to address the confusion in understanding the bridge between existing policy and realities on the ground, Fidel said it is necessary to revise their parameters in accounting wanted persons.
“We will explain this (to COA) and we are studying and we will revise our parameters on that,” said Fidel.