MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) wants to dissolve police detachments in 16 cities and a municipality in Metro Manila before the year ends.
NCRPO chief Director Roberto Rosales directed his five district directors to prepare a master plan on the abolition of the police city hall and municipal hall detachments as soon as possible.
“We expect personnel of city hall and municipal hall detachments in Metro Manila be reassigned to police stations for added police visibility in the streets,” Rosales said.
Rosales seeks to comply with a directive of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Jesus Verzosa to abolish city hall and municipal hall detachments nationwide to prevent incumbent city and municipal officials from using policemen in their respective detachments as their “private armies.”
Verzosa’s directive will affect city hall detachments in Manila, Quezon City and Pasay City.
Some incumbent local officials said the police officers were in the detachments to secure the city hall premises, but Rosales said this job should be handled by security agencies.
“There are instances that elements of these city hall and municipal hall detachments are ordered by incumbent local officials to conduct raids especially against supporters of their political rivals,” Rosales said, noting that these policemen are indirectly serving as “private armies” of politicians.
Rosales said the PNP is receiving a significant number of complaints from rivals of incumbent local politicians against “political activities” of police officers from city hall and municipal hall detachments and it is high time to dissolve these detachments.
According to reports, politicians are allegedly using police officials from city hall and municipal hall detachments as “fronts” in extorting money from illegal gambling operators, illegal vendors and the like.
Under the law, incumbent local officials are the ones who select the heads of their city hall and municipal hall detachments. Rosales said the police officers should bring along their issued firearms and motor vehicles to their new assignments.
He said it is up to the incumbent local police officials’ discretion how they will use the vacated city hall and municipal hall detachments.