A total of 15,237 policemen nationwide have been promoted to the next rank amid plans of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to recruit 10,000 cops every year to boost its operational capability.

Director General Jesus Verzosa, PNP chief, said the promotion is part of the regular promotion program for last year, adding that those promoted include 2,185 Police Commissioned Officers (PCO) with ranks of Police Inspector (equivalent to lieutenant in the military) to Police Superintendent (lieutenant colonel), and 13,062 Police Non-Commissioned Officers (PNCO) with ranks of Police Officer 2 (private first class) to Senior Police Officer 4 (master sergeant).

The 15,237 newly promoted PNP personnel are made up of 356 from the National Headquarters, 2,484 from the National Support Units, and 12, 397 from the Police Regional Offices, he said.

In an oath-taking ceremony in Camp Crame, Verzosa urged police officers to promote transformational leadership in the organization to improve service efficiency in the police force, explaining that transformational leadership is necessary for the PNP to completely achieve the objectives of the PNP Integrated Transformation Program.

“Every leader must possess the ability to identify problems and dysfunctions within the unit or organization, must be able to acknowledge the problem, and must be able to find ways to ‘correct these organizational defects’,” said Verzosa.

“The huge number of promoted police personnel translates to increased 'professional aptitude and proficiency' in the police service,” he said.

Earlier, Verzosa revealed that the PNP will be hiring 10,000 cops every year until they meet the ideal security ratio of one policeman for every 500 people in the country.

The annual recruitment, he said, comes with procurement of more guns and other equipment needed in security operations.