Lina wants 85% of cops out in the streets

To make law enforcers more visible particularly in crime-prone areas, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set on implementing the so-called "85-15" ratio — 85 percent of policemen in the streets and the rest in the headquarters.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr. said it is one of the priority programs of his department to reduce office assignments and intensify foot patrols which, he said, have been proven effective in the war against criminality.

"The DILG will fully implement the 85-15 ratio...so we can win the streets from criminals," Lina said.

He said the move to reassign more law enforcers from police headquarters to the streets will be complemented by the hiring of some 3,000 new recruits in the first quarter, which the approved national budget provides for.

Foot patrols now being carried in crime-prone areas in Metro Manila and other urban centers in the country, according to reports reaching the DILG, have been effective in deterring the commission of crimes.

Once the 85-15 ratio is fully carried out, most policemen will be spending their time on beat patrols in their respective jurisdictions.

Among those who will remain in police offices will be the investigators who will receive, respond to and investigate complaints and crime incidents.

Lina, chairman of the National Police Commission, said the DILG will also beef up its drive against scalawags, particularly the kotong (mulcting) cops who prey on motorists.

He said the DILG will set up action centers where residents can directly file complaints against erring policemen. — Perseus Echeminada