Indonesia

Western Visayas police invite residents to screen drug war cops

Rambo Talabong

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Western Visayas police invite residents to screen drug war cops
Western Visayans have a say on cops who can participate in the war on drugs

MANILA, Philippines – As top cops from the Philippine National Police (PNP) national headquarters continue to brainstorm new rules for the drug war, a region is already set on implementing theirs.

In Western Visayas (Region 6), the police regional office (PRO) included a “Community Vetting Process” before cops could operate, the PRO announced on Friday, December 8.

“In the selection of Drug Enforcement Unit/Team, the community will be involved,” PRO-6 said in a statement sent to reporters.

Drug enforcement units (DEUs) are the teams of cops tasked to coordinate with the drug war’s lead agency, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) before operations. They are the preferred cops in all activities connected to illegal drugs.

The units were dissolved when the PNP pulled out of the administration’s campaign in October, but were formed once more after their return.

According to the PRO, they will conduct a survey in different barangays, asking for the names of cops that they know and trust. From there, local police bosses will decide who deserve to be part of the DEUs then will put them up for “retraining”.

The sessions will include refresher courses on human rights, police operational procedures, proper case filing, information gathering, and spiritual enhancement. (READ: 49 Caloocan cops fail boot camp after missing drug test)

Aside from local communities vetting for cops, Western Visayas cops also took it upon themselves to revalidate their drug lists.

“Watchlisted personalities will be jointly revalidated by PNP and PDEA,” their statement read.

PRO-6 reiterated that they will continue with their case build-up and service of warrants against drug suspects. Aspiring for transparency, they asked for the community to help them in this endeavor too.

“We would like to solicit the community’s participation in the selection process and information sharing of illegal drug activities. Transparent police anti-drug operations is our concern,” they said. – Rappler.com

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Rambo Talabong

Rambo Talabong covers the House of Representatives and local governments for Rappler. Prior to this, he covered security and crime. He was named Jaime V. Ongpin Fellow in 2019 for his reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. In 2021, he was selected as a journalism fellow by the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics.