EDITORIAL - Cops, robbers

Last month armed men broke into a house in Sta. Ana, Manila, terrorizing the residents and taking with them nearly P3 million worth of valuables. One of the men reportedly pointed his gun at one of the three children, aged 13, 11 and 2, and threatened to shoot if the child didn’t stop crying. The children were locked up in the bathroom together with their parents, real estate firm executive Mico Bagui and his wife Shantal, who were hogtied.

The Bagui couple said the robbers took even perfume, food in the refrigerator and baby diapers. The couple got another shock when they went to the nearest police station to report the crime, only to find one of the robbers assigned there. Police Officer 1 Roberto Cruz was arrested by his colleagues in the Manila Police District Station 6 in Sta. Ana. Another member of the station, PO3 Morris Balindog, was apprehended later, together with barangay security chief Regente Osalia. They were positively identified by the victims.

It was not the first time that Manila policemen were implicated in crimes in the city in recent months. The only positive aspect in the robbery is that the cops identified by the victims were arrested.

Assessing the problem, Philippine National Police chief Nicanor Bartolome said most of the cops implicated in crimes, abuses and irregularities were rookies, with the ranks of police officer 1 or 2. This indicates a weakness in the police recruitment process that must be addressed immediately if the PNP doesn’t want more cases such as the robbery in Sta. Ana.

Apart from threatening public safety, cops moonlighting as criminals are also among the biggest reasons for the erosion of public trust in the police. Distrust and lack of public cooperation complicate the tasks of the police.

If there is a discernible pattern of law-breaking cops coming mostly from the ranks of rookies, the PNP must tighten its recruitment rules and screening process. It can create special teams to conduct background checks on applicants for the police force. Additional checks can be conducted by cops on the beat, assisted by barangay personnel. They are supposed to be familiar with the people in their areas of jurisdiction.

The PNP cannot afford to be lax in its screening and simply wait for scalawags in its ranks to show themselves. By that time, damage would have been done – both to crime victims and the PNP.