Año urges cops: Work harder to alter PNP's negative image

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Thursday called on cops to work harder to change the public's negative perception of the police force.

In his speech during the 119th Police Service Anniversary, Año said police officers are often criticized on social media platforms.

"Madalas nakatuon lang ang kanilang mga pansin sa kahit maliliit na kamalian at nakakaligtaang purihin at bigyang pagkilala ang mga mabubuting gawain. Mabilis kumalat ang impormasyon sa social media lalong-lalo na ang mga paghuhusga ng ibang tao," Año pointed out.

"Thus we need to work even harder to alter this perception and improve the image on all our personnel... Nawa'y maging simbolo kayo ng husay, dangal at kabutihan," he added.

Further, he urged the police organization to continue its internal cleansing program to get rid of erring police officials that destroy the image of the PNP.

"Patuloy nating bigyan ng halaga ang mga ginagawang hakbang upang linisin ang ating mga hanay, Let us weed out misfits who continue to tarnish the reputation of our beloved institution," Año said.

"Our efforts are already gaining momentum and we will not stop until every scalawag is removed from our ranks. Hence, we must be unyielding in our internal cleansing drive and by employing measures that beef up our character and caliber, we will be able to build a reputable and formidable police force trusted and well-respected by the Filipino people," he added.

Año stressed that the goal is for the public to equate cops' presence to a feeling of security and safety. 

The Police Service Anniversary is being observed to commemorate the establishment of the Philippine Constabulary, which was the country's first insular police force.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's anniversary observance focuses  on the mandate and resiliency of [police force], with the theme "Towards A Pandemic-Resilient PNP: Deploying Digital Technologies and Adopting Protective Protocols in The New Normal."

In his message, PNP chief Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa mentioned the Revitalized Internal Cleansing Program, which utilizes a holistic approach that covers punitive, restorative, and preventive strategies that aim to discipline, correct, and set an example to the police force with an end goal of elevating service reputation.

"We set sail in restoring the image of the PNP into one that would portray the police officer as a trustworthy and respectable public servant in the eyes of the people," Gamboa said.

As the father of the police force, Gamboa encouraged his men to to continue striving for improvement and "be competitively at par with the world's best law enforcement units."

"To be the best law enforcer, you must always strive to get even better..." he said.  —LBG, GMA News