EDITORIAL - Most corrupt

As far as majority of Filipinos are concerned, the police force is the most corrupt agency in the country. At least 69 percent of those surveyed by the Transparency International (TI) believed that the police force is heavily saddled with corruption.

However, it's no longer a surprise why the Philippine National Police remains consistent at the top of the list of the country's most corrupt government institutions. One of the reasons is that it's the nature of their profession that makes many of its personnel susceptible to corruption.

While some police officials were surprised by the recent findings, they cannot deny the fact that corruption has been eating into the law enforcement system for decades. In fact, bribery and extortion are rampant in almost every branch of the agency, from the mere police outpost at a street corner to the airconditioned sections at major headquarters.

The public is also to blame for becoming part of the problem instead of helping in the campaign to curb corruption. Many people involved in criminal activities tend to bribe policemen in order to escape legal prosecution.

Besides, different vices drive many policemen to resort to extortion. A junior officer, for instance, who has a family to feed but who maintains a habit of frequenting casinos would certainly raise suspicions about where he gets the means to support his gambling.

Former Police Regional Office-7 director Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo Jr. was right in his observation that the result of TI's Global Corruption Barometer is a wakeup call for the PNP. He believes that it's time for the organization to go back to the drawing board since there is a need to review the rules.

The government is facing a daunting task in its drive to clean up the corrupt police force. Improving the image of the organization requires not only a long-term plan but an honest-to-goodness approach to bring back public trust.