16 more new police lieutenants at NPD

The Northern Police District anti-crime drive was boosted anew with the arrival of 16 more new police lieutenants yesterday to augment the NPD’s regular police force.

The new police inspectors are in addition to the 88 who arrived last week and are now assigned to do supervisory functions at the four police stations in Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela (Camanava) area.

NPD director Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco Jr. told the new police officers to do well in completing their specific assignments.

The NPD’s 104 new police inspectors are part of the 588 who came in by "lateral entry" and were assigned in different parts of Metro Manila.

They are the regular members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) with ranks of Police Officer 1 to Senior Police Officer 4. They were promoted to the rank of police inspector after hurdling the "lateral entry" examinations.

The NPD has only around 1,700 commissioned and non-commissioned police officers tasked to serve and protect Camanava’s some two million inhabitants.

Meanwhile, the NPD’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Group, under Chief Inspector Rafael Santiago Jr., was able to apprehend a total of 257 drug offenders during its three-month operations.

The DAID-SOG conducted a total of 176 operations in different areas in Camanava from Jan. 1 to March 15, resulting in the seizure of around P5 million combined worth of shabu and marijuana.

As this developed, the DAID-SOG went on high alert in anticipation of the influx of a new illegal drug called "Special K" which is reportedly cheaper as compared to shabu or ecstasy.

Police expect the new drugs to hit Metro Manila by April. – Pete Laude