CHR alarmed over new PNP chief's directive on number of arrests linked to illegal drugs

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed concern over the directive of Police Major General Nicolas Torre III, the new Philippine National Police chief, that among the measures of the performance of police personnel is the number of arrests linked to illegal drugs.

In Ian Cruz’s Monday report on “24 Oras,” CHR said Torre should release a clear directive that include a provision that arrests will not be based on numbers but on the right procedure for arresting people.

“Kasama sa metrics natin ang number of arrests. Paramihan. Sige. Paramihan (included in the metric is the number of arrests. We will check who will have the most number of arrests),” Torre said.

He added that this will be how a police personnel’s performance is evaluated in the PNP’s campaign against illegal drugs.

“Medyo naalarma po kami dito sa Commission on Human Rights dun sa statement na iyon. Kasi kami po dito, ang panuntunan natin namin is hindi po dapat pwedeng maging sukatan ang paramihan ng huli, kung hindi ang dapat na maging sukatan ay tama ba yung proseso ng panguhuli. Yung tao bang iyon ay nagko commit ng crime at kaya siya nahuli?” CHR commissioner Beda Epres said.

(We, at the CHR, are alarmed by Torre’s statement. We believe that the number of arrests should not measure a police personnel’s performance. It should be measured by checking who underwent the right process of arrest. Did that person get arrested because he committed a crime?)

Torre said the arrest is done under the law and that if the suspect thinks he was arrested unjustly, there are government agencies that can help him.

However, CHR said Torre should release a clear directive that the police across the country will follow.

It added that there should be a clear directive since most of the people arrested belong to the marginalized sectors, who usually have no access to remedies at law.

“Kung ang ating sukatan ay numbers, baka po paramihan lang talaga just for the sake ng makapag comply sa direktive. Hindi tama yung proseso ng panguhuli o baka wala namang ebidensya just for the sake na hulihin lang yung tao. Ma-meet lang nila ba yung numbers? So yun po yung very alarming. Open po siya sa abuse. Yun po ang nakakatakot po doon,” Epres said.

(If we rely on numbers, maybe we are just arresting for the sake of complying with the directive. The process of the arrest may not be right, or there may not be enough evidence. It’s very alarming. It’s open to abuse, and we’re alarmed by that.) — Mariel Celine Serquiña/BAP, GMA Integrated News