Cops warned against using recovered stolen vehicles

Amid reports that some policemen have been spotted driving stolen luxury vehicles for their personal use, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) instructed all five district directors to turn over all recovered stolen vehicles to their nearest Traffic Management Group (TMG) office immediately for proper accounting and disposition.

The directive was issued by NCRPO chief Deputy Director General Avelino Razon Jr. He stressed that the use of stolen vehicles by policemen is "a gross violation of the law and an abuse of the authority and confidence" the public bestows on policemen.

Razon said that the new directive was part of the implementation of the PNP’s anti-corruption plan and no less than PNP Director General Arturo Lomibao wants this practice stopped.

Former PNP chief and now Sen. Panfilo Lacson had issued a similar directive.

The anti-carnapping section of the Western Police District (WPD) reported 18 cars stolen from March to April this year, 14 of which were recovered.

Anti-carnapping section chief Senior Inspector Leopoldo Mangilinan explained that most of the cars reported as stolen to the police were pawned by their owners who lost to gambling matches in casinos.

"That is the problem with these complainants. They will seek police assistance in order to recover their vehicles. Then we will be informed by the custodian of such vehicles that the car was pawned to them," said Mangilinan.

Manila has the lowest incidence of stolen cars in Metro Manila.

"You can even park your car unattended at the Baywalk. This was due to police visibility and the quick response of my operatives on any reported carnapping incident," Mangilinan said.

He likewise advised people who would take custody of cars as security for loans to ask for the vehicle’s documents to avoid inconvenience during police verification.

"Undocumented vehicles in one’s possession could lead to grave results," Mangilinan warned.