Manila cops under fire over low number of drug arrests

Manila’s 11 police station commanders have voiced their opposition over a proposal that would put their stations’ anti-drug police officers under the control of the Manila Police District (MPD) anti-illegal drug unit.

The proposal came in the wake of the dismal performance of all the station anti-illegal drug (SAID) units, which recorded only 857 arrests for the first six months of the year, a 26-percent decrease from 1,172 arrests during the same period last year.

According to Superintendent Roderick Mariano, chief of the district anti-illegal drugs-special operations group (DAID-SOG) of the MPD, the arrests were not covered by a pre-operations report, which means that the results of an arrest can “easily be manipulated.”

He proposed that SAID operatives be under the operational and administrative control of the DAID chief.

Mariano said if this proposal is adopted, this means that the intelligence-gathering against suspected drug users and peddlers would continue even with the change in station commanders.

“When a station commander is relieved or transfered he usually brings with him his trusted men, including the SAID operatives, so there is a break in the ongoing intelligence gathering. A new set of SAID operatives brought by the new station commander starts all over again,” Mariano said.      

The station commanders, however, thumbed down the proposal, saying they are the ones directly coordinating with barangay officials on the drug problem in a community. “The proposal will only give undue power to the DAID people,” they said.

The station chiefs have proposed another alternative: abolish all SAIDs and let DAID handle all drug problems in the city. “This way there will be no finger-pointing if there is a failure in the battle against drugs. Only one police (unit) will take the blame.”  

Data obtained by The STAR showed eight of the 11 station anti-illegal drugs (SAID) units recorded a considerable decrease in arrests, with the Sampaloc police station achieving only 58 arrests in a six month-period as compared to 183 recorded last year; the Balut police station arrested 80 persons as against last year’s 137; and Malate police station, 37 as against 76 last year.

MPD director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales expressed dismay over the dismal performance of his station commanders. He said they face being relieved of their post unless they improve soon.