Abra cops warned vs working for politicians

Policemen found working for Abra politicians will be relieved and deployed outside the province. The warning was issued by Cordillera police director Chief Supt. Raul Gonzales on Sunday amid reports that some policemen are doubling as security aides of Abra politicians. Gonzales - a member of the task force investigating the Dec. 16 slaying of Abra Rep. Luis Bersamin Jr. in Quezon City - said they are now in the process of identifying those policemen "connected" with politicians in Abra. The move aims to clean the ranks of Abra policemen said to have participated in several unsolved killings in the province. On Sunday, Gonzales said that three policemen have already been relieved from their posts in Bangued, Abra after the police leadership found links between them and some politicians. He did not identify the policemen. Gonzales explained that politicians who need security will have to be evaluated on a "case-to-case" basis. He said that the PNP - through a directive issued by PNP Director General Oscar Calderon - would have a free hand on the selection of policemen who would be deployed as security aides. "We will even be selective," he said. In 2005, all 264 policemen stationed in Abra were relieved and then brought to the Cordillera police’s headquarters in Camp Dangwa. After that, they were then re-deployed to other police stations in the region after the Interior department decided that their presence in the province contributed to the area's unresolved political rivalries. After a year, some were re-deployed back to the province.- GMANews.TV