‘Stern’ chief Albayalde vows to clean up PNP

Newly-installed Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde on Thursday vowed to take his "stern" brand of leadership from Metro Manila to the rest of the country.

"Today, as I humbly accept this new responsibility to lead the PNP, I shall commit to continue my low-key but stern kind of leadership,” Albayalde said during the PNP Change of Command ceremony held in Camp Crame.

Albayalde, the erstwhile chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, known for his surprise inspections of police stations in Metro Manila even in the wee hours.

“I will scale up the thrusts of the NCRPO to also be the thrusts of the PNP," Albayalde said.

"We will focus on imposing strict discipline, reform and internal cleansing; intensified campaign against criminality and illegal drugs; practical program for crime prevention and suppression; and strengthen public engagement,” he added.

Albayalde vowed to implement an intensified internal cleansing in the 195,000-strong police force.

“We shall impose and breathe discipline 24/7 and implement reforms in all levels in the PNP,” Albayalde said.

When President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he was appointing Albayalde as the next PNP chief, he said the then NCRPO chief was needed at the PNP's helm.

"The stricter, the better," Duterte said. —NB, GMA News