PNP chief: No more awards for stations with low crime rates

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police will stop giving awards to police stations with low crime rates after station commanders and city police chiefs were caught underreporting crimes in their areas of jurisdiction, PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima said yesterday.

“Because of these best (police station awards), many doctored reports were submitted to the PNP,” he said when asked by The STAR on how the PNP now measures the performance of its units. “So we no longer use crime statistics in choosing best police stations.”

He said three city police chiefs in the Bicol region and several others in Ilocos and Region 2 were relieved from their posts recently for “doctoring” their crime statistics reports.

“This (relief of police officials) should serve as a warning to the station commanders, city police chiefs, provincial directors or even regional directors that we would not hesitate to relieve them once they are found doctoring their crime statistics reports,” Purisima said.

Staying put

As for the nine National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) officials who underreported crimes in their area of responsibility by as much as 60 percent, Purisima said they will stay at their posts until their superiors agree on what to do with them.

Purisima said he cannot act as yet on the recommendation of Director Don Montenegro, head of the PNP’s Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), to relieve the nine police officials because “his report has not reached my desk as of this time.”

He said he discussed the case of the nine officials with NCRPO director Chief Superintendent Marcelo Garbo Jr. but they have not arrived at a definite decision.

So as not to disrupt police service, Purisima said the nine police officials would temporarily stay on in their respective posts.

He said the DIDM’s validation of crimes reported by police stations covered the period from January to June, and some of the nine police officials were found to have assumed their posts several days before or after the reports were submitted by their units.

In his six-page report, Montenegro identified the erring city police chiefs as Senior Superintendents Rodolfo Llorca of Pasay, Florendo Quibuyen of Mandaluyong, Joselito Daniel of San Juan, Arthur Felix Asis of Taguig and Ariel Andrade of Parañaque.

He also identified Manila Police District Station 4 (Sampaloc) commander Superintendent Santiago Pascual, MPD Station 9 (Malate) commander Superintendent Manam Muarip, Quezon City Police District Station 10 (Kamuning) commander Superintendent Limuel Obon and QCPD Station 7 (Cubao) Superintendent Ramon Pranada.

Chief Superintendent Christopher Laxa, NCRPO deputy director for operations, said Garbo has warned all police chiefs to check all crime reports in their areas, including from barangay personnel.

He said those fail to do so will be relieved and made to undergo a refresher course to remind them of basic crime recording and reporting.

Laxa cited the case of Makati City police chief Senior Superintendent Manuel Lukban, who relieved his precinct commanders after they were found altering their crime statistics.