Solon hits PNP’s ‘three-strike’ policy on erring cops

A lawmaker on Monday expressed alarm over the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s plan to implement a “three-strike" policy in dealing with erring police officers as it might encourage some cops to become habitual offenders. Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo said the PNP leadership should not deal with cops’ involvement in crimes “like a baseball game," especially with the “long list of violent and serious offenses" repeatedly committed by policemen the past few weeks. “When we apply this policy, we are promoting deferred punishment akin to a baseball game when you strike out at the third time, which cannot apply in real world situations," Castelo said in a statement issued on Monday. The congressman made the statement after PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo announced earlier this month that the supervisors of erring cops have the chance to act on three offenses of their subordinates before finally sacking them from their positions. The PNP leadership made the move in the face of several reports of crime involving cops—including torture, kidnap-for-ransom, murder, and rape. Castelo, a member of the House Committee on Justice, said he is planning to strike down this "old" and “inappropriate" policy in the PNP and instead propose a “one-strike" policy among police commanders. “What we need is, at the end of the day, a no nonsense one-strike policy that would reflect the PNP leadership’s firm resolve to weed out the organization of scalawags," he said. He added that the PNP should also “overhaul" its “faulty" recruitment system to prevent “offenders" from entering the police force. – VVP, GMANews.TV