Over 200 cops penalized for not going to court hearings
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police penalized more than 200 police officers for failing to appear in court hearings for cases filed against suspects arrested in various police operations across the country, its chief said.
In a report cited by Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management said that the 211 police officers face penalties ranging from verbal reprimand to dismissal from service.
Of the 211 erring officers:
- 83 were dismissed from the service
- 31 were demoted to lower police ranks
- 92 were suspended temporarily
- 5 were reprimanded.
The report comes after Eleazar’s order to account for personnel who skipped court hearings or those who neglected their duty to testify in court from January 2020 to June 3, 2021.
"Our mandate as police [officers] does not end with arresting those who break the law. It is the duty of our police to attend the hearings of the case especially if they are summoned by the court or they are the arresting officer themselves," said Eleazar.
"Effective law enforcement demands that criminal elements are not only arrested but are also punished through conviction. So policemen who can’t justify why they failed to appear in court to testify will definitely face administrative cases," he added.
The DIDM also reported that of the 83 policemen dismissed from the service, 10 of them were related to illegal drugs cases filed by the PNP.
Per DIDM figures, there are still 1,428 pending administrative cases being resolved for non-appearance in both drug and non-drug-related cases.
Eleazar also ordered the DIDM to submit a report explaining why cops are failing to appear in court.
"We will study and find a way to ensure that our police appear in court as witnesses in all the cases we file in court. They have an important role to play in ensuring that those caught violating the law are sentenced to imprisonment," Eleazar said.
"Our arrests will be ignored because if we do not make sure that they are held accountable by law, they can only return to our communities to sell drugs again and persecute our countrymen," he added.
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